The Perfect Wave
by Nom de Plume1
Summary: At long last the conclusion! Will Reggie win the Konai Kai surf championship on the sunny tropical paradise of Maui? Will Twister finally win her back? Will Otto be banned from surfing for life? These and all your questions answered after the jump.
1. Too Close for Comfort

****

Chapter 1: Too Close for Comfort

It was three weeks before Reggie's 16th birthday and this summer was shaping up to be one of the best on record. Since school let out in June the weather had been perfect, not a single day of rain. That's right, nothing but clear blue skies and killer surf. She'd never seen waves so gi-normous in Ocean Shores! Between shooting the curl nearly everyday with the gang, working part time at the Shore Shack and her driving lessons, Reggie barely had time to rest. But she couldn't have asked for a more exciting summer. So when her dad had announced that they were going to Hawaii for a two weeks to take part in the annual Kona Kai surf competition, she'd almost fainted. Reggie couldn't think of a better 16th birthday present, except maybe her driver's license.

That had been a week ago when it seemed like nothing could possibly ruin this golden summer. But this morning was seriously trying her patience.

"Let's go, Rocket Boy! Come _on_," she yelled. Reggie was holding open the front door, a nylon duffle hanging from one arm and her longboard tucked under the other. 

"Chill, Reg, I'm coming," Otto called from upstairs.

"Otto, we're going to miss the plane!"

"Will you relax? We've got hours."

"We still have to pick up the others! If you make us late-"

"-Okay, okay. Here I come." Otto bounded down the stairs at last in a faded yellow t-shirt and a pair of loose shorts. His roller blades were tossed over one shoulder and on the other he carried a large equipment bag crammed full of clothes and other gear that bulged out of the top. The bag was so full that the zipper wouldn't close and a pair of sweaty socks oozed its way out onto the floor as Otto strolled toward the front door. 

"If you had started packing last week instead of this morning, maybe we'd actually get to the airport in time."

"Whatever, Rocket Girl." Otto was a study in unruffled calm. "Where's Raymundo?"

"In the car already waiting on you," she said through clenched teeth. 

He shrugged and took one last look around the living room to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He spotted the socks, walked over to them, picked them up and gave them a quick sniff. Otto's nose wrinkled in disgust, but he shoved the socks back into his bag anyway.

"That's gross." Reggie made a face. She supposed she should've been used to the sketchy standards of cleanliness associated with living in a house full of men by now. Well, officially Otto and Raymundo were the only two men in the house, but Twister and Sam hung out so often it was like they, too, were living under the same roof. Between the four of them there were enough sweaty socks and funky t-shirts to pretty much carpet the whole first floor.

"So sue me, Reg." Otto pushed past her, his bulky bag bumping and scraping along her surfboard.

Reggie rolled her eyes. Her little brother was so inconsiderate sometimes. "Otto Rocket, if I see one scratch on this board, you're gonna spend the whole vacation waxing it!"

Otto sauntered over the car, dumped his stuff in the trunk and slid into the back seat. Tito and Ray were in the front seat and they all waited for Reggie as she locked the front door and struggled down to the curb with her board and bag. Ray helped to fasten her board to the roof of the car with the others. She tossed her bag in the trunk, climbed in next to Otto and finally they were on their way! Reggie took a nervous glance at her watch.

"Give it up, already," Otto said as he stretched and clasped his hands behind his head. "We've got plenty of time."

_Not the way Dad's driving_, Reggie thought. Raymundo was creeping along the road at a snail's pace.

"Tito, my man, remember the summer of '74? Just you and me on the Lost Beach of Kauai. 20 foot waves. Man, those were the days."

"I hear you, brudda. Surf like that only comes once every hundred years or so. The Ancient Hawaiians have a term for it _hemolele kai_, the perfect wave."

"So how many have you guys seen? Perfect waves, I mean." Otto asked.

"Just one. It's a once in a lifetime thing. Like I said, every hundred years."

"But you and Dad must be at least two-hundred by now."

Ray glanced up from the road to see Otto's smirk in the rear view mirror.

"Raymundo, your boy just called us old."

"We'll show him old, Tito," Ray chuckled. "He thinks he's seen his old man rip here in Ocean Shores, but Hawaii's a whole different ball game. With surf like that, it's experience that counts."

"Well, you guys sure have a _lot _of experience."

Reggie glanced at her watch again. "Uh, sorry to interrupt," she spoke up from the back seat, "but Dad do you mind if I drive?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Reg. You don't have a license yet."

"I've got my permit. I've been driving for 3 weeks now."

"Nah, not right now. We're on our way to the airport."

"And at the rate you're driving we'll never get there," she muttered under her breath.

They finally pulled up in front of Sam's house. He came tearing out of the screen door with his board and a couple of bags, but before he could clear it completely, Paula Dullard grabbed her son. It was obvious that she was telling him to be careful and lecturing him on everything from sunscreen to water safety. At 12 years old it had been kind of cute, but now that Sam was 14 it was downright embarrassing. The speech concluded with a kiss on the cheek and Otto snickered from his vantage point in the car. Sam stowed his gear and joined Otto and Reggie in the backseat. He was still flushed with embarrassment as he mumbled hello to the both of them and he kept his eyes lowered behind his black, plastic-rimmed glasses.

"Hey Squid," Otto smirked. "Looks like your mom's gonna miss you."

"Oh, shut up, Otto." Reggie snapped.

"It's okay, Reg," Sam smiled. "We all know my mom's a bit over protective. I did convince her to get me a new Mobley for the event, though."

"No way," Otto's jaw dropped. "A Mobley? Custom made? It's the hottest board on the beach!"

"It's also the safest," Sammy winked "an argument she couldn't refuse."

They got so caught up in the talk of Sam's new board that they barely noticed they'd stopped in front of the Rodriguez residence until Twister attempted to pile into the back of the car.

"Hey man, there's no room," Otto said.

"I'm afraid Otto's right," Ray spoke. "You guys are going to have to lap sit."

There were groans from the backseat.

"Sam can sit on Twister's lap," suggested Otto. "He's the shortest."

"Well, I guess I am," Sam said, "but I'm not the lightest."

The boys turned to look at Reggie.

"Oh, no you don't. I'm the oldest and I'm pulling rank. Otto, you sit on Twister."

"No way!" said both boys simultaneously.

"What's the big deal, Rocket Boy? He _is _your best bud."

"Yeah, but not like _that_."

"Just scoot over, will ya?" Twister tried to force his way in, elbowing Sam mercilessly and wedging his butt on to the edge of the seat.

"This is ridiculous," Reggie said, finally giving in. If they wasted any more time they were never going to get to the airport. "I'll sit on Twister's lap."

They all climbed out of the backseat and rearranged themselves. Otto, then Sammy on the hump, Twister and Reggie on his lap. Suddenly she realized that they had all gotten so big. When Raymundo had driven them up to the lake last summer, all four of them had fit comfortably in the back of the car. When had all this growing happened? It was true that Otto was more or less looking her in the eye these days. They were practically the same height now if you counted his hair. Even Sammy had gotten taller and lost some of the baby fat. But if she were going to blame anyone for taking up more than his allotted space it was Twister. He was hands down the tallest of them now, having shot up in height just before the end of the school year. His long, lean limbs made riding in the backseat difficult. Reggie noted that his knees were flush with the front passenger seat and his head touched the roof of the car.

"Everybody in?" Ray asked.

"Yeah," Reggie answered. She leaned over to pull the car door shut and wriggled on Twister's lap. He shifted uncomfortably.

"So Twister, where's your brother?" Ray said from the front. "I saw that he signed up to compete in the Kona Kai. Does he need a ride?"

"And where's he going to sit, the roof?" Reggie asked annoyed.

"How about the trunk?" was Otto's suggestion.

"He's traveling with friends," Twister said. "They don't leave for another couple of hours." 

"Man," Otto complained. "I thought this vacation was going to be free of whompings."

"Don't count on it, bro," Twister said. Though truth be told Lars hadn't whomped anyone in a good six months. Twister liked to think that his sudden growth spurt was responsible at least partially. But with that growth spurt had come all sorts of other problems: riding in the back seats of cars for one. 

Ray finally pulled out on to the road again with a quick jerk that sent Reggie jostling into Twister. He groaned inwardly as she righted herself. 

"Sorry, Twist." She looked at him sheepishly.

It wasn't the elbow in the ribs that bothered him, but one of those "other problems" he'd just been thinking about. His body was unpredictable. It might grow two inches in a week or it might react in ways he couldn't quite control, especially where Reggie was concerned. It wasn't her fault that she was sitting on his lap, but she could at least sit still and keep her bare legs from brushing against him. And her hair, couldn't she pull it back into a ponytail or something? It was loose and as usual pushed back by a pair of shades that rested on top of her head. The breeze from the open window kept blowing the soft strands into his face. 

"…right Twist?" Otto was saying.

"Huh?"

"Were you even listening to me, man?"

"Uh, sorry."

Otto continued to talk about the upcoming competition but Twister couldn't seem to concentrate on anything he was saying. Ray sped into a turn causing them all to lean to the left and Reggie slipped an arm around Twister's neck to steady herself. Before he could even think about what he was doing he held on tightly to her waist. They came out of the turn unscathed and it was Sam who was the first to notice the color in Twister's cheeks.

"Um, Twist," he said quietly, "you can let go of Reggie now." 

"Oh," he said, and moved his hands. The rising color in his face became a full-on blush. Sam picked up on his friend's embarrassment and sought to change the subject.

"So, Reggie, I'm assuming there'll be full coverage of the surf competition in the next issue of the 'Zine."

"You bet, Sammy. Which reminds me, I think it's high time the 'Zine got a web site, don't you? I've been meaning to talk to you about it."

"Really?!! I'd be happy to help. I packed my laptop you know. We can work on it in Hawaii."

"I was thinking we could even use some of Twister's movies on the site." Reggie turned to ask him, "If that's okay with you?" She angled her head so that she was looking right at Twister and suddenly felt very shy. It was completely weird sitting on his lap. 

"Sure Reg," he said quickly, not quite looking at her. It was no use looking at her, it only confirmed what he already knew: Reggie was really pretty and she was sitting on his lap. Reggie, Otto's sister. His best bud's sister. What was he even thinking? That's just it, he wasn't thinking and before he knew it his body was reacting to the fact that she was so close. _No… not now… please_, _he thought_. He shifted slightly in the seat hoping against hope that there was a way to hide it, that somehow she wouldn't notice his sudden hard-on. 

Reggie shifted again thinking that maybe she was sitting on the seatbelt buckle. Twister squeezed his eyes shut in despair. She wasn't helping matters any by moving. How much longer could he stand this? Weren't they at the airport yet?

"Everything okay back there little cuzzes?" Tito called from the front seat. "You're pretty quiet."

"It's all the anticipation of the Kona Kai," Sam said, though what he was really anticipating was the roast pork and poi at the Welcome Luau before the first day of competition. "We're speechless."

Reggie fidgeted in Twister's lap. What could she be sitting…? Wait a minute. She turned to look straight at him and noticed the blush that crept up from his neck to the roots of his hair. His eyes were averted. 

Twister knew that she was staring at him.

Reggie gasped in understanding as it dawned on her. The small sound she made drew his attention and against his will he raised his eyes to her face. She looked at him, startled and he wanted to sink through the bottom of the car in utter mortification. 

"So Twist," Otto began his mind focused solely on the 20 foot waves in his near future, "are you ready to go totally tubular?"

Before he could even respond Reggie spoke.

"God Otto, are sports all you ever think about?" she snapped.

"What's eating you, Rocket Girl? Don't tell me sports aren't all _you _ever think about."

For this first time in her life Reggie wished that Otto were right. She'd much rather think about Sam's new board, than Twister Rodriguez.


	2. Let the Luau Begin

****

Chapter 2: Let the Luau Begin

A huge bonfire threw light across the darkened beach. The sun had just set in a dazzling array of pinks, purples and blues that had stretched out across the horizon. The Welcome Luau was in full swing on the beachfront of the Grand Wailea Resort complete with hula dancers, drummers and perhaps what Sammy considered the most important part of any luau, roast pork. The Kona Kai competition was due to start tomorrow, but tonight all of the participants had been invited to a kick-off party. Reggie looked over at her friends and family seated around her, their plates heaped high with delicious food. 

"See Reg, I told you we'd make it," Otto said.

"Barely," she muttered. "If the flight hadn't been delayed, we'd have missed it."

"Well, we're here now, Rocket Girl," Raymundo smiled at her. "Isn't this beautiful?" 

Her dad had a point. The many guest tables were surrounded by glowing Tikki torches which produced their own soft light apart from the bonfire. The rush and swirl of the ocean provided a rhythmic undercurrent to their conversation as waves lapped the shore in the distance. A warm, gentle breeze fragrant with the scent of tropical flowers stirred the flames of the torches and the cloth napkins at each place setting. Reggie realized that the sweet scent in the air was partially due to the fresh leis that each of them wore around their necks. They had been given to them when they'd landed at the airport only a couple of hours ago.

"You're right, Raymundo. It's awesome."

"Ah, land of my birth," Tito sighed. "This is the very beach where Kamehameha the Great challenged Chief Kahekili's warriors for control of Maui in 1790."

"Really, Tito?" asked Sam through a mouthful of sweet plantains.

"Really, Sammy." Tito smiled contentedly and tossed another rib on to Sam's plate.

"So, Otto," Ray began, noting the intense look on his son's face. "Sizing up the competition?"

"It's nothing I can't handle," Otto answered, his indefatigable confidence brimming at the surface. 

"Well, Otto-man, there is Chris Pennington to think about," Twister said softly. It was the first thing he'd said during the meal. He'd been remarkably quiet ever since the ride from Ocean Shores to the airport. 

"Who's Chris Pennington?" Ray asked.

"He tried to take Otto on a year ago in the Ocean Shores Classic," said Twister.

"If I recall he gave you a run for your money," Sam added.

"And who won the Ocean Shores Classic, Squid?"

"You did."

"That's right. I've got nothing to worry about."

Reggie rolled her eyes. Usually Otto's bravado didn't bother her one bit. But tonight she just couldn't take it. She'd heard him shoot off his mouth all during the flight and the ride to the hotel. Enough already! Rocket Boy was good but he wasn't invincible.

"I think I'm going to turn in," she said suddenly.

"Are you okay, Reg?" asked Ray. "It's not even 8:30."

"I know, but I'm in the second heat tomorrow and I want to get a good night's rest."

"You sure, little cuz? They haven't even served dessert yet," said Tito.

"You can have my dessert, Tito," she smiled.

"If you insist." He winked at her.

"Well, alright, Reggie. You get some shut-eye. I'll check in on you before I go to bed."

"Don't worry about it, Raymundo." She stood and dropped her napkin on to her plate. Reggie waved a quick goodbye to the gang and began walking back toward the hotel.

"Hey, Reg, wait up!" 

She turned around to see Twister running after her. Otto was calling him from the table but he didn't seem to hear him.

"Maybe I could walk you back to the hotel?" 

"It's just over there." She pointed a short distance up the beach.

"I know," he said, not looking at her.

"Well, okay."

The whole point of leaving dinner early was that she would have some time to herself to think. With Twister tagging along that was going to be difficult, especially when she wanted to do some thinking about him. 

"Reg, I um…," he began but stopped. He cleared his throat and started again. "I'm sorry about earlier… what happened in the car."

The path back to the hotel was lit with Tikki torches and even in their dim light she could see the blush that had settled in his cheeks.

"It's okay, Twist," she tried to keep her voice light. But the truth was that the whole incident had confused her. What did it mean? Did Twister like her? He seemed different to her now, more defined. Somehow, he was more than just the boy who'd spent the past four years attached to Otto at the hip.

"Sometimes… it just sort of happens," he said quietly.

"Oh."

"Reg, I hope you're not…"

"Twister, it's no big deal. Let's just forget about it."

"All right… but Reggie, I do… I mean, I"

"Really, it's cool." They walked into the lobby of the hotel. "Thanks for the walk, okay? You should get back to dinner. I know Otto probably wants to talk strategy with you."

"Uh, okay."

He looked like he would've said something more, but Reggie didn't give him a chance. "Good night," she said and dashed off into the waiting elevator that would take her to her room.

***

Having her own hotel room was exciting, though at the same time it was also a little lonely. Raymundo and Tito were sharing a room and so were Otto, Twister and Sam, but as the only girl Reggie had gotten a room all to herself. It was only proper; she needed her privacy and after all she was about to be 16 in a couple of weeks. But it was weird not having anyone around to talk to. Sure, there was Otto when she wanted to discuss sports and her Dad was always willing to listen, but there were some things she couldn't really talk to them about and as a result there was this space growing between them. Lately she'd felt more and more isolated from the rest of the gang, too. 

Was it because she was the only girl? Her friends had never treated her any differently because of that. When it came to sports she was faster, sharper and better than most boys in Ocean Shores anyhow. No, Sammy and Otto and Twister always treated her equally. They didn't seem to notice that she wasn't just one of the guys. Or at least they _hadn't._ But Twister had noticed. 

He'd been looking at her funny for the past few weeks, like he'd been trying to figure her out. And what was there to figure out? She was the same Reggie Rocket she'd always been. Maybe a little taller but that was it. 

She walked into the bathroom and turned on the light so that she could look in the mirror. No surprises. There was the hair, the eyes, the same lips. She pursed them into a pout just for the hell of it, but there was no radical transformation caused by the gesture. Reggie pulled the shades from the top of her head and her hair fell forward, the same hair, slightly curly and thick. 

She took a step back from the mirror to look at the rest of her body. So maybe she was a little rounder in spots, definitely hippier. That was the end of borrowing Otto's shorts. So there were little differences maybe, but nothing to make Twister get all bent out of shape, right?

What was she thinking? This was Twister, the kid who dug up his parents' backyard trying to find pirate's treasure that his older brother Lars had convinced him was buried there. He didn't need an excuse to start acting weird. She'd once seen him snort an entire French fry up his nose just because Otto had dared him. Granted, that had been a couple of summers ago. He was different now. A little more steady and thoughtful. He even looked different. Taller of course, stronger, too. Last week she'd caught up with him at the half pipe in Madtown and as he'd tucked himself in the air to execute a front-side flip she couldn't help but notice his forearms, large, tan and corded with muscle. 

Reggie felt her face grow warm as she thought about it. Did she like him, her baby brother's best bro? 

***

The first day of competition dawned bright and clear. The qualifying heats were held first and the top 16 scores would advance. Reggie was in heat 2, going head to head with Krista Kelly, an Australian she'd met once before in the Ocean Shores Classic. The ladies junior competition marked the official start of the Kona Kai. The ladies senior competition held it's qualifying rounds this afternoon and the men's competition wasn't slated to begin until tomorrow. Otto, Sammy, Twister, Tito and Ray had all gathered to see Reggie qualify.

Reggie toted her board and gear to the competitor's stand and her friends watched from a distance as she began to suit up. Ray and Tito had gone in search of hotdogs but had promised to return before the start of her match.

"I thought Reggie was going to be in the senior competition this year," Sam said.

"Her birthday didn't fall before the deadline. She won't be 16 for another two weeks," Otto explained.

"That's cool," Twister said. "She'll sweep up the junior competition no sweat." He held his hand out to Otto for a rallying woogie, but Otto wasn't paying attention. His eyes were trained on a group of local guys who were lounging over by a copse of trees at the edge of the beach.

"Those guys are staring at Reggie," Otto said with quiet menace.

"Well, objectively speaking," Sam began, "Reggie is what you'd call a babe."

"Twister, did you hear what Sammy just said?"

Twister looked at his feet.

"No."

"What do you mean no? You were standing right there."

"I mean, I didn't hear the squid call Reggie a hottie."

"Actually, the term I used was babe."

"That's my sister you're talking about!"

"_Objectively speaking_, Otto." Sam tried to calm his friend. "I'm just saying that if you weren't related to her, you might think that she was"

"That's gross, Sam." Otto put his hands over his ears.

"Well, you mentioned that those guys were staring at her so I thought you'd want to know why."

"I can't hear you!" Otto yelled.

Twister grabbed one of his friend's hands and pried it loose from his ear.

"It's okay, bro," he tried to ignore the guilt swelling in the pit of his stomach. "Squid's done."

Otto stared hard at Sam to confirm that indeed his lips weren't moving. He couldn't possibly be saying anything about his sister. Slowly he uncovered his other ear.

"Promise me that the two of you will never look at my sister like that."

There was a pause while Sam and Twister exchanged a worried glance.

"Promise!"

"Dude," Twister tried to smooth things over. "You're wiggin' out."

"And you're not promising," Otto narrowed his eyes and glared at his friend. Twister caved under the pressure.

"All right, all right, we promise," he said. "Right Sam?"

"We promise," Sam echoed. "But Reggie is"

"Shut it, Squid."

"It's not what you think. What I'm trying to say, Otto, is that Reggie is a girl. We always treat her like she's one of us"

"She _is_ one of us."

"Well, she is, but she isn't. Maybe we need to start treating her differently."

"How else are we supposed to treat her?" Otto asked exasperated. "This is Rocket Girl we're talking about here. She's not some girly girl who needs to be babied. Look at her." He pointed over to his sister who had easily hefted her longboard into the air and was carrying it over her head. 

"We're not allowed," Sam answered smoothly reminding Otto of the promise he'd just exacted.

"You know what I'm talking about!" 

They all watched Reggie as she made her way to the shoreline. The previous heat had just concluded and her match would be starting in a few minutes.

"We could just try being a little more… chivalrous," Sam said finally. When he was met with blank stares he added, "You know, more gentlemanly."

"What are you going to do, Sam? Ask to carry her board?"

"It's a start." Sam shrugged.

***

Ray and Tito came running up to join the gang just as Reggie and her opponent set out into the ocean.

"Come on, Reg," Ray called encouragement even though there was no way Reggie could hear him.

Sam squinted out into the distance shielding his eyes from the sun. "It's choppy out there and according to the forecast there's a north-northwest swell."

Otto leveled his eyes on the huge turquoise waves. "They're coming in sets of four and the third wave looks best. I hope she knows."

"She knows," Ray said. "She's not my daughter for nothing."

Krista paddled into position for the first wave and Reggie hung back relaxed straddling her board. 

"Good girl," Ray murmured. "Let her have that one." 

Krista caught a decent wave but Ray wasn't even remotely concerned. There was no question that Reggie could take this. 

The gang fell silent, anticipating Reggie's next move. Otto tucked his shades up on top of his head and Sam danced nervously from foot to foot waiting. She let the second wave pass still sitting on her board. Both girls were floating pretty far out and their figures looked tiny from the beach, but Otto was watching his sister closely and he caught the shift in her posture. He'd seen it before up close and knew what it meant; she was going to take the third wave.

In the next moment she was belly down on her board arms slicing through water, paddling furiously. 

"Come on… come on," Ray muttered. Tito peered through his binoculars and watched Reggie spring to her feet in a low crouch as she dropped in. Clear, blue water arced up over her and she was lost from view for a moment, but there she was again racing along the face of the curl, one arm out in front of her, the other behind dragging along the surface of the wave.

"Steady," Ray was saying. "Easy now."

"Relax, Raymundo, she's got this," Otto said. He watched Reggie cut through the surf as the wave began to froth and dissolve in her wake. It was a near perfect run. There was only one person who could have done it better and that was him.

Fifteen minutes later Reggie had officially won her heat, adding two more scoring waves to that first run. Ray pumped his fist in the air and commenced a victory dance the likes of which hadn't been seen since Otto and Reggie had been crowned Prince and Princess Waikikamukau in New Zealand three years ago.

"Dad, it's just the qualifying round," Otto said.

"I know, Rocket Boy, but a win is a win!" He gave Tito a double high-five and continued to celebrate.

"You never told me your Dad could do the funky chicken," Twister stifled a laugh.

Otto rolled his eyes. This was embarrassing. It got even more embarrassing when Ray danced his way into an unsuspecting bystander. 

"_Aiâ_!"

"Whoa," Ray turned around to get a look at whoever it was he'd just elbowed. He stopped short. "I… uh…" His jaw dropped. 

"Now that's a babe," Otto said low to Sam.

Ray could only stare at the woman in front of him. Her long, dark hair and slender frame were what first caught his attention, but it was the dancing light in her deep brown eyes and the bemused smile on her lips that rendered him speechless.

Tito nudged his friend politely. 

"I think what you want to say is, _minamina_."

"_Minamina_?" Ray repeated still staring at her.

"Yes," the woman answered him. "It means that you are sorry for bumping into me. Unless, you aren't sorry for bumping into me."

"No… I mean, yes, of course I'm sorry for bumping into you! I'm really _minamina_. I can't tell you how _minamina_ I am, really- "

"- This is Ray," Tito interrupted in order to keep him from blathering on.

"_Aloha_, Ray. I'm Lola."

"Lola," he repeated.

"So, Ray, is that your daughter over there? The one with the killer cutback?" She motioned to Reggie who was coming in from the water.

"Yeah, that's Reggie and this is my boy, Otto."

Lola smiled over at Otto who, though he tried to play it cool, was dangerously close to blushing himself.

"I really am sorry for bumping into you like that. I just got a little excited."

"No worries. Now I know to give you room during the next match." She smiled. "_Aloha_, Ray." She waved and turned to walk back down the beach.

"_Aloha_, Lola." Ray was grinning from ear to ear. "Wait, Lola!"

She stopped.

"How can I… I mean, when do you think we might…uh…?"

"You want to know when we will meet again? Maui may be one of the larger islands, but it's a small place. We'll see each other soon."

Tito whistled softly as she walked off.

"Hubba, hubba, brudda."

"I know," Ray mused. " I know."

***

It was sunset and Twister sat on the beach stretched out on a towel. The sun was just peeking over the horizon now, taking one last lingering look at the island of Maui before it sank behind the ocean in a vibrant display of oranges, pinks and purples that suffused the clouds. 

It was so peaceful here. Twister closed his eyes a moment, only to snap them open a second later once it registered that he'd been slapped in the back of the head. He jerked around to see his brother Lars standing behind him.

"You're all alone out here, baby bro," Lars pointed out. "Where's Rocket Dork?" Twister wasn't in the mood to hear Lars rag on him and his friends.

"I don't know who you're talking about," he said annoyed.

"You know Otto."

"Probably in the hotel weight room."

"And you're not with him? I thought you two were glued together."

"I'm tired, all right?"

"Sure. Still pining after Rocket Dork's sister?"

"Shut up, Lars. Why do you have to be such a dick sometimes?"

"Now Maurice, is that any way to talk to your older brother?"

Twister opened his mouth to reply when she came into sight running along the edge of the water. His hesitation was enough to cause Lars to follow his gaze.

"Now I get it. You just happen to be out here at sunset keeping and eye on- "

"- Lars- "

"- Wait a minute…is that…?" He squinted at the jogging figure.

"It's nobody," Twister said. He got to his feet and picked up his towel hoping that the action would distract his older brother.

"_That's_ Reggie Rocket?" Lars asked, a hint of surprise mingled with something else in his voice. 

Twister had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The "something else" in Lars' tone was admiration.

Lars couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her. It couldn't have been that long ago. She was always at the Shore Shack, Madtown or the beach. Their paths had to have crossed this summer, but he obviously hadn't been paying attention.

"Your taste in women ain't half bad, baby bro."

"Lars, where are you going?"

"To say hello to your girlfriend."

"She's not my…" Twister began but his voice trailed off. "Lars!"

It was too late to stop him. Lars was headed toward the ocean on a collision course with Reggie Rocket.


	3. In Search of Loco Moco

A/N: In my last chapter I meant to say thanks for all the positive reviews! This is my first fanfic and I'm really enjoying writing it, so it's great to know that people enjoy reading it, too. What I have noticed about your reviews is that there seem to be two camps, one for Reggie & Twister and one for Reggie & Lars. I have to say that in my heart of hearts I know Reggie & Twister are meant to be. However, Lars is definitely the bad boy in Ocean Shores and no girl can resist a bad boy for long…

****

Chapter 3: In Search of Loco Moco

There was someone headed right toward her. At first she thought it might have been Twister, then Reggie realized that this person was definitely bigger. Even from a distance she could see that he was taller, his shoulders were wider and his hair was darker. He was closing fast.

Reggie jogged left so that they wouldn't run into each other, but he stayed with her almost as if he intended to run right into her. Moments later her suspicions were confirmed when he ran straight into her and wrestled her to the ground.

"What the—?" Reggie struggled. She pushed at the heavy body that had landed on top of her. Finally she was able to get a look at his face. "Lars?!"

"You oughta watch where you're going, Reggie. You practically knocked me over."

"_I_ knocked _you_ over? Are you joking?" she asked, annoyed. Reggie pushed at him again, but he wouldn't move. He braced his weight on his arms above her and grinned down at her scowling face. 

"Listen, Rocket Girl, I can't help it if you're clumsy."

"Clumsy!" Reggie sputtered. She went still a moment and then kicked as hard as she could. Her foot caught him in the shin and that was enough to make him spring promptly to his feet. Reggie stood up and dusted off as much sand as she could. She was sweaty from her run and the sand stuck to her skin in places. She pulled up the strap of her tank top that had slid down her shoulder somewhere in the midst of Lars's running tackle. "What do you want, Lars?"

"Nothin'. Can't a guy just say hello?"

"Not when hello involves a figure-four leg lock." She narrowed her eyes. He must be up to something. 

"I swear, Reg, I just saw you and thought I'd say hi. Figured we could shoot the shit a little. Just like old times."

"What old times, Lars? The only old times I remember involve you whomping my brother, talking trash about me and my friends and basically doing whatever you could to make life miserable in Ocean Shores." She turned her back on him and began walking up the beach in the direction of the hotel.

"Reg, Reg, Reg," he began casually. Lars ran up along side of her and threw an arm across her shoulders. "People change."

"Yeah, since when?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Well, you know how I wasn't really in school the last couple of months this year?"

"Lars, you're not about to give me some story about how you were shipped off to reform school or something, are you? Because everyone knows that you were suspended."

"That's right. I was suspended and do you know what I did while I was suspended?"

"Hmmm," Reggie thought a moment. "I don't know, smoked weed under the boardwalk with your homies?" She stopped walking and wriggled out from under his arm.

He looked at her.

"Reggie, your words, they cut like a knife." He clutched his heart.

"Cut the bullshit, Lars."

"This isn't bullshit. I did community service for the past two months. That's right, I serviced the community."

"Doing what?"

"Oh, you know." 

"No, I don't. I can't imagine."

Suddenly he grew serious. 

"Okay, if I tell you this, it stays between the two of us. If it gets out, it could do major damage to my reputation."

Reggie rolled her eyes.

"I'm totally on the level here, Reg. A little faith." She folded her arms across her chest and gave him a skeptical look. "So the last two months of school I was working with the little spuds at the Ocean Shores Boys & Girls Club."

"You must be high if you think I believe you," Reggie snorted.

"It's true! I was in this big brother mentor program. They had this little guy Kevin paired up with me. They said it was supposed to teach me to be a better role model."

"Why did they think that would work? You already have a real little brother and some role model you are."

"I don't know. But the point is being nice to this little guy wasn't the worst thing in the world. It made me think that it wouldn't cost much to treat people a little differently, know what I mean?"

Reggie looked at him carefully. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, maybe a sign that the real Lars Rodriguez was being held captive by aliens while this benevolent body double walked around in his place. Of course there couldn't be two of him, but the one in front of her certainly seemed like a fake. Oh yeah, he looked exactly like the Lars she knew, same height and weight, same dark brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail at the back of his neck. There was even the same tattoo, the one he'd gotten this past year of a Chinese dragon whose snakelike body and tail wound sinuously around his left biceps. All signs pointed to this being Lars. There was just the small matter of his strange behavior.

"So," Reggie began, "you're telling me that you're turning over a new leaf and I get to be the lucky recipient of your new and improved personality?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

"That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." She started walking again and he followed.

"Reggie, don't you see? I'm a changed man."

"Okay, Lars, I have a question for you. Why are you telling me all this? And why do I get to be on the receiving end of your sudden… good will?"

"At first I thought it was because you look really good in a bikini and it kind of is. But wait, Reggie, hear me out. This change thing, it's not easy. You've changed, too, I can tell."

She didn't respond. She just kept walking. They were close to the hotel entrance.

"Reg, whether you know it or not, it's like now we actually have something to say to each other."

"What do you mean?" she asked, curious in spite of herself.

He thought a moment and she watched as something about his mood seemed to shift. He'd been teasing her only moments ago but now he seemed calm and way more serious than she'd ever seen him.

"I'm not sure," he said finally. 

They reached the hotel and Reggie went inside but Lars remained outside of the building perplexed. What _did_ he mean? It was like somewhere during the course of his conversation with Reggie, he'd lost sight of his own joke. 

***

"There's a place just down the road, little cuz, a local spot. I'm sure they'll have what we're looking for."

"I don't know, Tito," Sammy was hesitant. "Are you sure we shouldn't ask the others if they want to come along?" 

"They're not going to appreciate this like you will, Sam. I mean, we can ask them but it seems like a waste of time."

"You know, Tito, you're right."

The two of them made their way across the hotel lobby to the exit. They had almost reached the doors when they heard someone call, "Hey guys."

Reggie spotted them. 

"Where are you headed?"

"In search of loco moco," Tito said mysteriously.

"What's loco moco?" she asked.

"An ancient Hawaiian delicacy."

"Well, it's not exactly ancient," said Sam, "and I'm not sure it qualifies as a delicacy—"

"—Shut your mouth!" Tito said, offended. "Of course it's a delicacy."

"Mind if I come with?" Reggie asked.

"Not at all," Sam said. "We would've asked, but _somebody_ thought it would be a waste of time."

Tito cut him a look.

"Where to?"

"Not far. Tito saw a little place near by."

The three of them left the hotel and walked a ways down the main road. Within a few minutes they were standing in front of the Surfside Café, an open-air restaurant with a thatched roof, a long counter and several scattered booths. The menu was written in chalk on a board posted behind the counter. The restaurant's specials changed daily, but there was one thing that was always on the menu no matter what: the loco moco. And this wasn't just any loco moco, according to the board it was the "world's best."

Reggie, Tito and Sam slid into a booth and within moments a friendly teenager came to take their order.

"Three loco mocos, please." Tito took the liberty of ordering for the table.

"Regular or low fat?" asked the waiter.

Tito leaned back in the booth and placed a hand on his ample belly. 

"Do you even have to ask?"

The waiter laughed and scribbled quickly on his pad. 

"Three loco mocos, regular, coming right up."

As the waiter left Reggie turned to Sammy. 

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" she asked.

"As far as I know loco moco is Hawaii's version of fast food," said Sam. "I'm not exactly sure what's considered fast food here, but Tito did mention that there's gravy involved."

"You just wait," said Tito. "You two are in for a treat."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Reggie muttered. She glanced around the restaurant which had the laid-back comfort of a diner mixed with the kind of open-air sprawl that could only be found within walking distance of a beach. There were pillars holding up the thatched roof and on each one was mounted a different surfboard. Some of them were even signed by surfing legends. 

Reggie relaxed in the booth. This place had a familiarity that made her feel at home. When she looked up again there was a woman standing at the edge of their table.

"_Aloha_," she said to Tito. "I don't think we were introduced when I met your friend."

"Ah," he said. "I'm Tito. _Aloha_, Lola."

She nodded to him.

"And you're Reggie from the Kona Kai."

"Hi," Reggie said, startled. "Did we meet?"

"You're Dad met her the other day," said Sam. "After he plowed into her."

"Plowed into her?" She gave him a puzzled look.

"The victory dance," Tito explained.

"Not Raymundo's victory dance," Reggie groaned. "In that case, let me apologize."

"No need," said Lola. "Your father apologized plenty. He was excited about your win."

"It was just the qualifying round."

"I know, but you had a great run. I saw it."

"Thanks."

"So, Lola, what are you doing here?" asked Tito. 

"Well, this is my place. You're looking at the owner of the Surfside Café."

"Really?" asked Sam.

"Really."

"Well, then you can tell us if what the sign says is true," Tito said. "Do you really serve the world's best loco moco?"

"Well, I am biased being the owner and we both know there's only one way for you to find out." As if on cue their waiter arrived with three plates heaped with steaming food. He sat the plates down in front of them and Reggie looked at the large hamburger sitting atop a mountain of rice. The whole thing was awash in gravy. 

"Whoa," she said. "Just out of curiosity, what does the low-fat version of this look like?"

"There isn't really a low-fat version," Lola chuckled. "We just say that for those customers who might wind up with a guilty conscience. That, and sometimes we leave out the fried egg."

"Fried egg?" Reggie used her fork to investigate. Sure enough, nestled beneath the burger on the bed of rice was a fried egg. "It's a good thing I don't have to surf today. After this, I think I'd sink right to the bottom of the ocean."

"It's not nearly as bad as you think," Lola said.

"It's not bad at all," Sammy mumbled through a mouthful food. There was a dreamy expression in his eyes. "In fact, it's… heavenly."

Tito nodded as if to say 'I told you so.' He would have commented outright, but there was no time. He was too busy scarfing down food.

Reggie had to admit that the loco moco was really good. She couldn't honestly say it was the world's best because she'd never had it before but it had to be pretty darn close.

Lola scooted into the booth next to Reggie.

"So how is it?" she asked.

Tito belched loudly and then wiped daintily at the corners of his mouth with a napkin. "It might just be the world's best."

"Another satisfied customer," Lola said. "That's what I like to hear."

*** 

"Ready for your close-up, Otto-man?" Twister asked. He cradled his camcorder in his hand and peered through the viewfinder at his friend. 

Otto struck a pose flexing his muscles like a pro-wrestler. He snarled for the camera then hoisted his board into the air and started for the water just a few feet away.

"I can't believe you want to spend your spare time surfing," Twister said from behind his camera. "There are so many other things to do here, man. Jet skiing, windsurfing, para-sailing. Besides, there's enough surfing during the competition."

Otto was ankle deep in the ocean. He put down his board and turned to his friend.

"I gotta be ready, Twist."

"What do you mean? You had the top qualifying score. You're going to kill this. There's no contest."

"You're right, the junior competition is no contest, but the senior competition is another story."

"What do you care about the senior competition? You're not even old enough yet."

"Oh, I'm not old enough, but Rocco Tocket is."

"Who the hell is Rocco Tocket?"

"You're looking at him."

Twister shut off his camera and lowered it from his face. His brow creased in confusion.

"Come on, Twist, do I have to spell it out?"

"Spell."

"Rocco Tocket is the best surfer Ocean Shores has ever seen. He's my height, my weight and he has my moves. The only difference is Rocco was born in 1987."

Twister continued to look at him blankly.

"If he was born in 1987 that makes him 16," said Otto. "Old enough for the senior competition."

"If he's such a good surfer, how come I never heard of him?" He was puzzled.

"For crying out loud, Twist, I'm Rocco Tocket! I made up the name and changed the date of birth so that I could compete in the seniors."

"What?"

"I registered for the competition twice. Once for myself and once for Rocco."

"But it's obvious that you're Otto. You can't just go up and say your name is something else. Everyone knows what you look like. Are you going to go around telling people that Rocco is you older twin or something?"

"No, genius. I'll wear a disguise."

A crazy picture of Otto surfing with a pair of Groucho Marx glasses complete with fuzzy eyebrows and a huge plastic nose attached suddenly popped into Twister's mind.

"Disguise?" He sounded skeptical.

"I'll swap boards with Sammy and trade for another suit. Then, to top it off, I'll wear a mask."

"A mask? What kind of mask? You mean like Eddie, Prince of the Netherworld?"

"Not like Eddie's, more like… I don't know… Batman, or something. I haven't exactly worked that out yet."

Twister almost didn't believe him. But he saw the determination on Otto's face and knew that his friend was dead serious.

"Well, what about the qualifying rounds? You didn't, I mean, _Rocco_ didn't qualify."

"He doesn't have to, Twist. There's a little loophole in the rules."

"What do you mean loophole? Everybody has to qualify. That's the way it always works."

"In the Kona Kai rule book, all surfers must qualify unless they've won a local competition within the past two months. Then they get a bye and head straight into the quarterfinals. According to Rocco's registration form, he's the recent champion of the Hookipa Beach Challenge." 

Twister shook his head trying to make sense of it all when something occurred to him. "I can't believe you actually sat down and read the Kona Kai rule book."

"I didn't, but Squid did."

"Squid helped you? He was in on this and you didn't tell me?"

"He didn't help me knowingly. You know what a stickler Sammy is for rules. I just asked him a few hypothetical questions." 

"I can't believe you're doing this."

"Believe it. Not only am I doing it, I'm going to win the seniors and be the youngest person ever to do it. Think of the movie that would make, man."

"But Otto, what about Lars or…or your Dad? They're in the senior competition. What if you got paired off with one of them? They'd recognize you disguise or no."

"It won't happen, Twist. Stuff like that only happens in cheesy movies."

Twister clicked on his camera and turned it back on his friend. He watched Otto through the viewfinder as he pushed out into the ocean on his board. 

"I hope you're right, Otto," Twister said quietly. "For your sake, I hope you're right."

***

Maybe it was something in the water because everybody seemed to be acting a little loony. There was Otto and his crazy scheme to become a masked surfer and Raymundo who'd been walking around in some kind of trance. Then there was Lars who hadn't said one word to him since that night on the beach when he'd tackled Reggie. It was unusual for Lars to keep his mouth shut period. He always had something to say and most of it was the kind of smart-ass crap that only older brothers could dish out. So, this quiet act was trouble, almost as much trouble as the way Lars had looked at Reggie a couple of days ago. Finally, there were Sam and Tito who couldn't stop talking about something called loco moco. Everybody was _loco_. He knew that much.

It was only natural then that Twister decided to go out on his own for a couple of hours. He grabbed his camcorder, rented a bike and rode out along Maalaea Bay, hoping to get some great footage of the island. It had been a beautiful afternoon right up until about fifteen minutes ago when he'd learned the true meaning of inclement weather. It had been Sam who'd said "inclement" when he'd cautioned Twister about the weather a few hours ago. But the Squid was always using big words and warning someone about something. How seriously was he supposed to take "inclement" when it was coming from Sammy? Very seriously as it turned out. In fact, for once in his life Sammy had understated the seriousness of something. The word he should have used was _monsoon_.

Twister tried to make it back to the hotel but there was no way, he was too far out. It got so bad that he had to pull off the road he'd been following. He could barely see in front of him and as the rain beat down he dragged his bike to the side and squinted around looking for a place to hang out until the storm blew over. There was no one else around, not even any cars on the road. It looked like everyone had heard about the inclement weather and planned to be indoors. If only he had planned.

Finally, he caught site of a little shack about 20 feet ahead. He walked his bike in that direction and made his way to the tiny hut. There was no door and when Twister peered inside he could see that it was just a storage space for beach chairs which were stacked along each wall. There was an old sign in the back that read "Rental Chairs $2" but other than that the little place was deserted. 

He pulled his bike inside, shrugged out of his backpack and set it gently on the floor. It was soaked through and he didn't even want to think about what had happened to his camera that was zipped inside. Twister pulled off his t-shirt and wrung it out. He used it to mop off his face, arms and hair for all the good it did to dry off with a wet t-shirt. The rain was still pounding outside showing no signs of letting up. It looked like he was going to be here for a while. 

Suddenly, he thought he heard footsteps. He walked up to the doorway and looked out into the road. He could just make out someone running through the heavy curtain of rain. 

"Hey!" Twister called and waved his arms. He was looking at what seemed to be the only other person caught out in this storm with no place to go. The figure stopped and then started toward him. It wasn't until she reached the doorway that Twister's mouth dropped open. He started in shock.

"Reggie?"


	4. Maui Madness

A/N: Sorry Lars fans… but don't lose hope, it's only chapter four.

****

Chapter 4: Maui Madness

Sure enough Reggie Rocket was standing sopping wet in front of him. She held her arms out from her body slightly allowing the excess water to roll off. She was staring down at her cross-trainers that at that very moment probably held more water than the Olympic sized pool back at the hotel. At the sound of her name she looked up.

"Twister?" She was startled. 

"What are you- ?" they both began at the same time and stopped. 

Twister gestured to his bike and explained about his exploration of Maalaea Bay that had been cut short by the sudden storm.

"I was going for a run," Reggie began, "and the next thing I know the sky clouds over and this happens." She caught Twister staring at her. "I know," she smiled ruefully, "I look like a drowned rat."

Nothing could have been further from the truth, Twister thought. Her hair was drenched, she was soaked from head to toe, but still he couldn't keep his eyes off her. It had something to do with her wet shirt and the way it clung to her body outlining curves that she usually hid with loose clothing. Twister knew he was staring and tried to make himself stop. He realized he was holding his t-shit and offered it to her to dry off with as best she could.

Reggie accepted the balled up wet shirt and it was only then that it dawned on her that if she was holding Twister's shirt, he most likely wasn't wearing one. She glanced at him and looked away quickly. Nope, no shirt. It shouldn't have embarrassed her. They'd been surfing together for years. She'd seen him without a shirt countless times but somehow, alone with him in this tiny shack, it made her completely nervous. Thankfully, he turned away from her and began looking at the beach chairs stacked up against the walls.

Reggie wiped her face and arms, wrung out her hair and twisted the bottom of her shirt to squeeze out as much water as possible. She kicked off her shoes and turned them upside down to let the water pour out. 

Twister pulled two chairs from one of the stacks and managed to get them side by side in the middle of the hut. They both sat sideways on the chairs facing each other.

"When do you think it'll let up?" Twister asked.

"I don't know." Reggie looked thoughtful. She listened to the rain beat against the roof with a comforting drumming sound. Outside was another matter. Water was coming down in sheets hitting the road's surface with a dull roar. It clattered against the leaves of the nearby coconut trees. "Hopefully, it's a fast moving storm."

They settled into companionable silence for a little while, watching the rain through the open doorway. Twister's eyes were drawn back to Reggie, though. He noticed the droplets of water that still clung to her hair and the spiky, wet fringe of her eyelashes. 

Reggie felt him watching her and turned to look at him. The expression on his face was one that she hadn't seen before. It was hard to interpret. She thought that she should say something, that talking might help to ease the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. But there was something about the quality of the silence between them that convinced her not to say anything at all. Speech would have ruined it somehow.

She was right. It was the untiring, unhurried quiet between them that gave him courage. Twister leaned forward and kissed her. It was hesitant and infinitely gentle. It was too brief, he thought as he pulled back to look at her. 

Reggie's eyes caught his. "It's a little weird," she said softly.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking away. If he hadn't already been flushed a new blush would have crept into his cheeks.

Reggie placed a hand on the side of his face. "Not too weird, though." She drew him back to her and kissed his mouth. It was a slow kiss that caught Twister by surprise. He felt her lips soft against his and the warmth of her hand on his cheek. It was her kiss and he followed its cues, softening his mouth against hers, returning the delicate pressure of her lips. Her fingers crept down along the side of his face brushing his jaw. From there they strayed to his throat and she could feel the pulse in his neck beneath her fingertips.

Their knees brushed and bumped as he leaned in closer and her fingers slid down along his collarbone. She laid her hand flat against his bare chest. Even though his skin was warm she felt him shiver. Twister wanted to pull her closer. The touch of her fingers made the hair on his arms stand up. He opened his mouth against hers and felt her lips part, changing the nature of the kiss. It was warmer, more wet than before. 

Reggie drew back finally.

"Whoa," Twister murmured, his eyes still closed. 

"Yeah." She managed to say. 

He opened his eyes. His first thought was that amazingly she seemed brighter to him, and as it turned out the sun was now shining outside. The rain had stopped and he hadn't even noticed.

***

"Hey, Rocket Boy, where's your sister?" Raymundo asked. They were sitting in Ray and Tito's room waiting out the storm. 

Otto shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think she went out for a run earlier. She probably got caught in the rain." He was pacing restlessly back and forth. This weather had put a damper on everyone's plans. Well, everyone except Sammy who was probably the only one who could manage to be just as happy indoors as out. The Squid sat in a chair near the window fingers clacking away on the keys of his laptop.

"Well, if she is out in this," Sam chimed in, "at least it will be over soon."

"Are you sure, Sam?" Ray asked. He didn't like to think of his daughter out there in what looked like torrential rain. It pounded against the windows of the hotel room.

"I'm sure. I'm tracking the storm on the National Weather Service web site. It's pretty intense but it should blow over in the next few minutes."

"Good," Otto said. "'Cause if I have to sit in here any longer, I'm gonna go crazy. We came here to surf and that's what I'm gonna do." 

"Hold up, Otto. Even if the sky clears up, I'm willing to bet that the water's still going to be rough after a storm like this. They'll probably even have to close down some of the beaches for a while," said Sam.

"Arghh!" Otto threw himself down on one of the two beds in the room. "It seems like all we've done since we got here is eat! I gotta get back on the water!"

Raymundo eyed his son suspiciously. It was true that none of them could stand being cooped up for long but Otto had been especially antsy the last couple of days. "What's going on, Otto? You aren't nervous about the competition are you?"

"Nervous? Me? Are you kidding? Otto Rocket nervous?" No way, no how was Otto Rocket nervous. Rocco on the other hand, well, wasn't exactly what you would call nervous. Maybe eager, or anxious to break on to the scene, but definitely not nervous. Never nervous.

"Well, that's good," Ray said. "I'd hate to think you were loosing your edge at the tender age of 14." He couldn't help but goad his son just a little bit.

"Don't worry about me, old man. You just make sure you're ready for the seniors on Thursday."

"Oh, I'm ready, all right."

The rain began to let up a bit and in the distance they could see a bright patch of sky that was growing rapidly as the storm clouds rolled out to the west.

"See?" Sam said. "It's clearing already." He turned back to his computer screen. "Uh-oh."

"What?" Otto asked.

"Nothing."

The phone rang saving Sammy from further explanation. Ray answered and held a brief conversation that was peppered with "um-hmms" and "okays." He hung up.

"That was Tito," Ray began. "He's waiting out the storm with a few of the officials from the competition and he said they're going to make some changes because of the weather."

"What changes?" Otto narrowed his eyes.

"Well, for starters it looks like this storm isn't over."

"What do you mean?" The clouds had all but disappeared and the sun was shining bright again.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance," Sam said. He glanced at his screen and then back to Otto. "The rain that we got just now isn't actually the storm that they're expecting. It's just a low pressure front right before the main event."

"And what's the main event?"

"Tropical Storm Eloise," Ray replied.

"I can't believe this!" Otto jumped to his feet. "Who would have a surf competition during tropical storm season?"

"That's just it. It isn't tropical storm season in the Pacific. This is completely unexpected," Sam pointed out.

"He's right, Otto. Tito said as much on the phone. But it's not over yet. We have a window before Eloise hits. They've moved up some of the events and switched them around. They're having the seniors tomorrow. They figure it's better to let more experienced surfers out on rough water. The juniors will be held the day after when the surf has calmed a bit. Then, we buckle down and wait for the storm to pass. The rest of the competition will take place afterward."

Otto was silent, the wheels clicking in his brain. That meant Rocco's debut had been moved up to tomorrow. "That's bogus," he said finally, though he couldn't hide the small measure of excitement in his voice. 

"Well, bogus or not, it's the rules," Ray said.

Otto shrugged. Some people just didn't know how to think outside of the box. Raymundo was one of them. It was crystal clear to Otto, though, that some rules were made to be broken.

***

Twister stared up at the ceiling. There was no way that he was going to get to sleep tonight. Otto was knocked out in the bed across from his and Sammy was snoring lightly on the couch, but he knew he was going to be awake all night thinking about Reggie.

He grinned to himself in the dark. The Squid was right. She was a total babe. He kept thinking about kissing her and he almost shivered again at the thought of it, her soft lips, the scent of her damp hair, her fingers trailing on his skin. Twister turned in bed, restive, dragging the sheets along with him.

He remembered what she'd said this afternoon. It was a little weird the two of them kissing, but only when you thought about it. They'd known each other forever. She'd been like his sister in a way, cause he and Otto were definitely bros. But things were different now especially after what had happened today. 

They'd hardly said anything at all to each other on the walk back to the hotel. He almost hadn't been able to look at her for fear he'd end up grinning stupidly in her face or blushing in nervous embarrassment. She'd smiled at him when they'd reached the hotel and even though they hadn't said much to each other, they both knew that what happened would stay between the two of them for now. 

Twister turned again in bed and let out a deep sigh. He couldn't imagine saying anything about it to Otto, anyhow. In fact, telling Otto was probably a bad move. He'd already gone ballistic when he'd seen guys staring at Reggie. If he knew that his best bud had actually kissed her, he'd loose his shit. Twister couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Otto trusted him as far as Reggie was concerned and keeping his feelings a secret wasn't exactly honest. But really it was for Otto's own good. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

So yeah, the idea of them kissing was kinda weird when you thought about it, but actually doing it was wasn't weird at all. In fact, doing it was the best part. He cleared his throat softly and crushed his pillow beneath his head.

"If you make one more sound, I'm going to lob this pillow at your head," Otto's voice came out of the dark.

Twister started. "You scared the crap outta me, bro. What are you doing up?"

"I should ask you the same question. You fuckin' woke me up with all your tossing and turning."

"Don't get aggro with me for interrupting your beauty sleep."

"You heard the seniors got moved up to tomorrow, I have to get some rest."

"Right and it's all about you, Otto. It always is."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, _Maurice_?" 

Twister sat up in bed then. Otto never called him Maurice. He knew how much Twister hated it. 

"Uh, guys," Sammy's voice came hesitantly out of the darkness.

"What!" Both Otto and Twister snapped at the same time.

"Let's not argue, okay? It's late and everybody's tired. I know you don't mean it, right?"

Twister and Otto peered at each other in the dark. Otto was sitting up, too, his arms folded across his chest and though Twister couldn't see the expression on his face, he knew that he was scowling. Otto's jaw worked for a minute and finally he said, "I didn't mean it."

Twister muttered something in return that Sam was willing to count as an apology. "Good. See, now we can all get some sleep." 

They lay back down in their beds. It was quite for a few minutes and Sammy was just about to drift off into sleep when he heard Twister's voice.

"You gonna go through with it?"

"Yup." Otto said.

"The Squid lent you his board?"

"I did _what_?" Sam was fully awake now at the mention of his nickname.

"Damn it, Twist. I hadn't gotten around to asking him yet."

"Well, the competition is tomorrow man- "

"- Ask me what?" Sam interrupted.

"Great," Otto muttered and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Sammy, I need to borrow your board tomorrow."

"Why? What's the matter with yours?"

"Nothing, I just… need it. It's a favor."

"That's a brand new custom made board, Otto. I'm not just going to give it to you unless you tell me what's going on."

"Yeah, _Rocco_," Twister said. "Tell him what's going on."

"Shut up, Twist."

"Did he just call you Rocco?"

It was Otto's turn to sigh. Reluctantly he confessed his scheme to enter the senior competition in disguise. "So what do you think?" he said when he finished explaining. 

"I think I would've picked a better name than Rocco Tocket," Sam said.

"Are you going to lend me your board or what?"

"I don't know, Otto. The waves are really dangerous. That's why they moved the seniors. I don't think you should go out there. Not to mention the fact that this whole thing is, well, dishonest."

"C'mon, Sammy. I can win the seniors. You know I can. This whole age limit thing is ridiculous anyway. I'm the best surfer Ocean Shores has seen period. I should be allowed to compete with the best not the babies."

"The _baby competition_ is good enough for me and Twister," Sam said softly.

Otto was going to reply but instead he bit his tongue. "Please, Sammy?" he tried his best pleading voice. "You know I count on you guys. We're a team."

Otto seemed to be the only person who hadn't learned that there was no "I" in team, Twister thought.

"All right," Sam said finally. Somehow Otto had managed to wear him down.

"Thanks, Squid. I owe you."

They lapsed into silence once more and pretty soon the sounds of sleep filled the room. Twister still lay awake thinking of Reggie and he squeezed his pillow in frustration. She was alone in the room she had all to herself. He wondered if she were sleeping.

***

Reggie had been sitting up for about an hour now. After tossing and turning for most of the night she'd finally come to the realization that if she weren't going to be sleeping, she might as well spend her time doing something productive. So she'd pulled out the articles that would make up the next issue of the 'Zine and had set to work editing them. There was her cover story on the Kona Kai that she couldn't really finish until the results of the competition came in. Tito had written a review of the loco moco at the Surfside Café and Sam had started a piece on the unexpected tropical storm that was headed their way. The special Hawaii issue was shaping up nicely, but try as she might Reggie couldn't seem to concentrate on any of it. Her thoughts kept going back to Twister and their kiss.

It had been weird at first. She'd said as much. But then somewhere between her hands on his face and his mouth open over hers, the whole thing made complete and total sense. She couldn't really explain it, but she could feel it.

The downside was she had no idea where to go from here. The kiss had changed everything. They hadn't really talked about it but both of them knew. They weren't just friends anymore they were… something else. That was the strange part. They weren't really girlfriend and boyfriend, they weren't really even going out. They'd just kissed and now everything was different. 

She knew she'd be nervous when she saw him again because she liked him and because she'd probably spend the whole time thinking about kissing him and about finding a way to kiss him again. It wasn't like she could just grab him in front of Sammy or Otto and lay one on him. How weird would that be? It would throw off the whole vibe between the four of them. Not to mention that Otto would freak out totally.

Reggie set the articles for her 'Zine aside and sat back against the headboard of her bed. It was times like these that she missed Sherri and Trish. Something as major as kissing Twister Rodriguez was definitely cause for girl talk. Too bad there was no one here she could talk to. 

Or was there?

***

Next up: The Ride of Rocco Tocket!


	5. The Ride of Rocco Tocket

A/N: Again thanks for the reviews! Love 'em. And a shout-out to goofy monkey child for your kind words and astute observation.

****

Chapter 5: The Ride of Rocco Tocket

Reggie woke with a start. She was sitting bolt upright in bed. Something had jarred her from sleep. It took her a moment to realize that it was the phone ringing in her hotel room. She turned bleary-eyed to the nightstand beside the bed and snatched up the receiver. 

"Hello?" she croaked.

"Reggie? Finally," said the voice on the other end of the line.

"Sam?"

"We've been trying to wake you all day."

"All day? What time is it?"

"It's almost two."

"In the afternoon?"

"Yup. Ray knocked on your door early this morning for breakfast and when you didn't answer he just let you sleep through. Then Otto tried you after breakfast and still no answer. We had the front desk call up a couple of times and nothing. So we figured you needed your rest."

"I can't believe I slept half the day away." Reggie tossed the covers aside and threw her legs over the edge of the bed. It was true she hadn't fallen asleep until close to four in the morning but she'd slept for almost ten hours. "Sammy, I'll be ready in fifteen minutes. Should I meet you guys in the lobby?"

"Actually, Reg, we're not at the hotel. The senior quarterfinals are about to start in twenty minutes or so and we're all at the beach."

"You left without me?"

"Well, there was a shuttle to the beach from the hotel and we didn't want to miss it."

"So you left me here? Gee, thanks Sam."

"Sorry, Reg. We thought you might not be feeling well. Ray mentioned that it could be a… um… a female thing." The Squid sounded embarrassed.

Reggie so didn't want to talk menstruation with Sam. "Well, for your information it's not. I just went to bed really late." Leave it to the boys to assume that just because she'd overslept it had something to do with her ovaries.

"Okay," Sam said quietly.

"Listen, I'm sorry I snapped at you. I guess if I hurry I can meet you guys before the competition starts." 

"Maybe. We're not at the bay, though. They're holding the quarterfinals at Slaughterhouse Beach on the northern tip of the island. The surf's not as rough here and in light of the storm the officials think it's safer. It's about a twenty minute ride by bus."

"All right, so I might miss a few minutes. Where do I get the bus?"

"Not sure. The hotel was running a shuttle from out front. The concierge should be able to tell you, though."

"Okay. Thanks, Sammy. I'll see you in a little bit."

***

The man at the hotel front desk sympathized with Reggie's story, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do. She'd missed the one and only shuttle to Slaughterhouse Beach for the Kona Kai and it wasn't expected to return to the hotel until after the quarterfinals were over. He offered to call her a taxi but Reggie realized that she didn't have enough money on her to pay for the trip. Sadly, this just wasn't her day.

Then there was the matter of her lucky orange t-shirt. She always wore it when Ray was competing and he'd never lost a match while she was wearing it. Now she couldn't seem to find the shirt anywhere and she was positive that she'd packed it. Of course it was just a silly superstition, but she was completely bummed. Not only was she going to miss her Dad's match, but she'd also lost her one and only good luck charm. 

Reggie threw herself down on one of the couches in the lobby and was fully prepared to launch herself headlong into a self-pitying stupor when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She looked up to see Lars standing over the sofa. 

"Why the long face, Reggie?"

"I missed the shuttle to the senior quarterfinals."

"Ah, well. Shit happens." He shrugged.

"Thanks, Lars. You're a big help."

"I didn't know I was supposed to help. Is that what you want me to do?" He looked down at her, a grin tugging at the left corner of his mouth. "Okay, wait. Let's try it again. This time I'll help." He cleared his throat and repeated dramatically, "Why the long face, Reggie?"

She rolled her eyes but answered him anyway. "I missed the shuttle to the senior quarterfinals."

"Well, check this: I'm in heat 3 and I'm on my way there. Can I give you a ride?"

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes, serious and pretty damn helpful, right?"

"Uh, I guess so."

Lars grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the couch. He led her out of the lobby and there just in front of the large glass doors a shiny motorcycle sparkled in the sunlight. He walked over to it and grabbed a helmet, tossing it to Reggie.

"This is your ride?" she asked, impressed in spite of herself. 

"It is for this week. I rented it." Lars threw his leg over the bike and straddled it. Reggie watched him closely.

"I thought you were competing this afternoon. Where's your gear?"

"Pi and Sputz packed it into the truck and left about ten minutes ago. If we hurry, we can catch them on the road." He pulled on his own helmet and turned to Reggie. "Hop on, Rocket Girl."

She looked at him dubiously. "Are you sure you know how to drive that thing?"

"Reg, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were scared."

"I am not. I just want to be sure you know what you're doing."

With that she strolled over to the motorcycle and climbed on behind him. 

"Hold tight," Lars said with a chuckle. Reggie realized he was laughing at her. She was perched on the back of the bike holding herself half an arm's length away from him. She had to work extra hard to keep from touching him which, when she stopped to think about it, was absolutely ridiculous. There was no way she could ride on the bike and avoid touching him and he knew it. The angle of the seat tilted so that she had to ride flush against him and wrap her arms around his waist as was customary. Reggie gave in, slid forward on the seat and fastened her arms around Lars.

"Cozy?" he asked, but before she could reply he started the bike and the engine roared to life drowning out any words she might've spoken. She tightened her grip as Lars revved the engine savagely, then took off on the road that ran in front of the hotel. 

The wind that rushed against them as they sped along the lane was unflinchingly fierce. It tore at Reggie's clothes and buffeted her face practically forcing her eyelids closed. She tucked her body closer to Lars to avoid meeting the rush of air head-on and rested her head against his back in the space between his shoulders. 

"Okay back there?" he called when he felt her shift behind him.

"Fine," she managed to yell over the noise of the wind and engine.

There was hardly any traffic, which was both good and bad. Good because they could get to Slaughterhouse Beach that much quicker and make the start of the competition. Bad because Lars was free to ignore the speed limit and tear over the road at close to 100 miles an hour. 

"You're quiet," he said over his shoulder.

"Don't you think we're going a little fast?"

"If you're gonna nag me about my speed you can go back to being quiet."

"I'm not nagging. I just think we should slow down a little, that's all."

"Slow down? This coming from Reggie Rocket? A girl who's been catching mad air since before she could talk?"

Reggie shrugged. It wasn't so much the speed that made her cautious as it was Lars's driving. He wasn't known for putting safety first. 

"You know what we used to call you, Reg?"

"You mean Rocket Dork?"

"Nah. That's mostly your brother. We used to call you Danger Girl."

"Danger Girl?"

"Yeah, you know like the comic book. You were pretty fierce. Still are."

She was quiet.

"And you don't know how to take a compliment."

"Sorry," she muttered feeling slightly embarrassed. "I wasn't expecting a compliment from you."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Nothing." Reggie tightened her grip as they dipped into a sharp turn in the road but Lars handled the bike expertly and there was nothing for her to worry about. She began to relax a bit. 

Again Lars was being unusually nice and "nice" wasn't a word she ever thought she'd use to describe him. He had to have some kind of hidden agenda but she had no idea what that might be. Was it possible that he really had changed for the better? Maybe it wasn't such a strange idea. He was Twister's brother after all and Twister was funny, kind, cute and completely sincere. Maybe it was in the genes.

Reggie was still reluctant to accept that explanation, however. There weren't a whole lot of similarities between Twister and Lars. They didn't even look that much alike. There was a general resemblance mostly around the eyes but when you got right down to it the only reason you knew they were related was because of the way they argued. Nobody argues quite like brothers.

Lars slowed the bike as an open stretch of beach came into view on the left side of the road. 

"Is that it?" Reggie asked.

"No. We're still about ten minutes away. This is Honokowai Beach. I made friends with a couple of locals the last time I was in Hawaii and they turned me on to it. It's kind of a secret spot."

"The surf looks awesome here."

"It is. I'll show you some time."

Reggie wasn't sure how to respond so she kept quiet. A nagging suspicion began to form at the back of her mind. It explained Lars's strange behavior and his sudden interest in her. Did Lars _like_ her? 

The very thought seemed impossible and it made her super aware of the fact that they were in such close proximity. Her arms were locked tight around his waist and she could feel the muscles in his back shift against her as he guided the bike into another turn. It was an odd sensation, one that brought heat to her face especially when she realized that logically she wanted nothing to do with Lars. She'd kissed Twister and she'd liked it and she planned to do it again so his older brother was completely… irrelevant.

The bike slowed again and this time they were approaching a crowded beach which was obviously the site of the Kona Kai. There was a small parking lot adjacent to the beach that was crammed full of cars but Lars was able to maneuver the motorcycle into a tiny space that was hardly legal. He shut off the engine, set the bike on its stand and stripped off his helmet. His hair had come loose and he cursed softly before yanking it back into a ponytail and fixing it with a rubberband. 

"Ready?" he asked.

Reggie realized that her arms were still around his waist, which was inexcusable now that they'd stopped moving. She snatched them away quickly and pulled off her own helmet relieved at the cool ocean breeze that ruffled her hair. Lars took her helmet, stowed it and dismounted the bike. He offered a hand to Reggie but she declined and hopped to the ground herself.

"That'll be $15.23 for the ride," he said. Reggie was about to protest when she caught site of the grin on his face. "Relax, it's a joke. No charge."

"Um, thanks," she said quietly.

"Wasn't as bad as you thought, huh?"

She gave him a wry smile and Lars felt like he'd won something. What, he didn't know. Maybe it was her smile, which seemed like the perfect prize. 

"Rodriguez," someone called. Lars turned to see Pi and Sputz headed toward him loaded down with gear.

"Come get your shit," Pi said.

"What'cha got here?" Sputz asked, checking out Reggie.

"Well, what do you know," Pi drawled. "If it ain't a Rocket."

Lars shot them both a look that quelled any further comment as he collected his board from Sputz. The four of them headed down the beach in silence. Reggie was thankful for the quiet. It gave her a chance to collect her scattered thoughts.

Again this was one of those times when she was sorely in need of female companionship. Trish and Sherri would totally know what to make of Lars and his strange behavior. Of course they weren't here but there was an alternative. She'd been thinking about it last night. Reggie made a mental note to set Operation Girl Talk in motion as soon as the quarterfinals were over. It would help provide some much-needed clarity concerning recent events.

***

"There she is," Sam said. He shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand and pointed at the small group of people approaching with the other. Twister looked up to see Reggie walking down the beach surrounded by Lars and his cronies. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. _What the hell was Lars up to?_

Reggie caught sight of Twister and Sam and broke into a run. She was headed straight for Twister almost as if she would have thrown herself into his arms, but at the last moment she remembered herself and came to a stop awkwardly in front of him.

"Um, hey guys," she tried to sound casual. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nope," said Sam. "You got here just in time. The first heat's about to start."

"You okay, Reg?" Twister asked. He was doing his best to appear as if nothing had happened between them, but all of the effort made his words sound stilted. 

"I'm fine. I overslept that's all. Your brother gave me a ride."

"I'm always willing to help a damsel in distress," Lars called. He and Pi and Sputz walked up behind Reggie. 

"It wasn't really distress," Reggie said.

"How quickly she forgets," Lars murmured.

"Shouldn't you head over to the competitor's stand?" Twister said to his brother.

"Trying to get rid of me little bro?" A note of challenge rang in his voice. There was a tense silence as Twister narrowed his eyes at Lars.

"If you're in the third heat you should really get going," Reggie said quietly. Lars looked at her a moment and then turned to head off to the competitor's stand. Sputz and Pi followed chuckling in his wake.

"Shut up," Lars shot at his friends as the three of them walked off.

"Sorry you missed the bus, Reggie," Sam said as he watched them go.

"No big. I'm here now. That's what matters." She looked up and down the beach at the crowd that had gathered. "Where's Otto?"

Twister and Sam exchanged a worried glance.

"He uh…," Twister began.

"He went to help your dad with his gear," Sam offered.

"Well, there's Raymundo over there," Reggie said pointing to the competitor's stand. "I don't see Otto."

"And get a hot dog," Twister said.

"What?"

"He went to help Ray and then get a hot dog. He must be getting that hot dog right now. Right, Sammy?"

"Yeah, that's it." Sam nodded vigorously.

"You guys are acting weird," Reggie said, but her thoughts were interrupted by the horn that signaled the start of the first heat. 

The surfers hit the water paddling out from the shore. Reggie squinted to get a better view. The two men straddled their boards to wait for the next set of waves to roll in. Reggie studied them closely.

"Is it just me or is there something on that guy's head?"

"Huh?" Sam said nervously.

"It looks like he's wearing a mask or something." And a bright orange mask at that.

"No," Twister said. "Really?"

"Look." Reggie pointed.

Twister humored her looking at Otto who was wearing an orange piece of cloth that covered the top half of his face and hair. He'd cut holes in it for his eyes and the whole thing tied in a knot at the back of his head. It was super ridiculous but that was Otto for you.

"Who is that guy?" Reggie asked.

Sam looked over to the officials' stand where the names of the competing surfers had been posted on a large scoreboard.

"Um, I think that's Danny Ortiz," Sam lied.

"No, I met Danny Ortiz in the hotel weight room the other day. He's the blonde." Reggie looked to the scoreboard. "That guy must be… Rocco Tocket?" 

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Sam looked away completely uncomfortable. Otto had sworn the two of them to secrecy. They weren't supposed to breathe a word of this to anyone not even Reggie. 

"Rocco Tocket," Reggie repeated. "That's an interesting name."

"Yeah," Twister agreed. "Rocco kinda sounds just like… taco."

Reggie eyed both Twister and Sam suspiciously before turning to watch as Rocco went after a wave. It was funny, Rocco reminded her of a certain someone. Everything about him was familiar from the way he paddled to his showboating style once he caught the lip and rode the wave.

She cut Twister a look. "Yeah," she said. "Just like taco."

When Raymundo found out about this he wasn't going to like it.

***


	6. Secret Girlfriend

****

Chapter 6: Secret Girlfriend

When all was said and done Ray had advanced to the semifinal round of the senior competition seemingly without any help from Reggie and her missing lucky, orange t-shirt. Lars had moved up as well along with upstart newcomer Rocco Tocket, who was something of a mystery to the crowd as this was his first appearance in the competition. Evidently, he'd skipped the qualifying rounds with a bye. There was speculation along the beach as to the true identity of the masked surfer, but for Sam, Twister and Reggie there was no need to speculate. That didn't stop Sam and Twist from trying to guard Otto's secret, however.

"What do you mean Otto is the mystery surfer?" Sam asked.

"Oh, come off it, Sammy," Reggie said. "It's obvious. You saw that aerial. It had Otto Rocket written all over it."

"It couldn't have been Otto. That wasn't even his board," Twister pointed out.

"No," she said, "but it looked suspiciously like Sam's."

"Hey, I'm not the only person on the beach with a Mobley shortboard." Sam was defensive.

"You said yourself it was a custom board, Sammy. You are the only person on the beach with _that_ Mobley shortboard."

Sam couldn't argue with her logic. She was absolutely right. He was a lame liar and Otto should have known that Reggie would figure out his scheme.

"Listen, Reg, Otto asked us not to say anything, especially to _you-know-who_," Twister said.

"Otto could get himself hurt doing this. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell Raymundo."

"Well, he is your brother," Sam offered. "What about solidarity between siblings?"

Reggie rolled her eyes and when she turned her gaze back to Sam she saw Otto headed toward them. It was plain to see that he'd just been surfing. Though he'd changed back into regular clothes, his hair was still wet and he had that telltale look of exhilaration that he always wore right after a heat. 

"Hey guys," he said. "I ran into a friend down the beach and watched the competition from there. Pretty awesome, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Sam said. He tried to give Otto a look to warn him that there was no point in lying to Reggie. It would only piss her off more.

"Something in your eye, Squid?" Otto asked missing Sam's intention.

"No."

"How was the hot dog, Otto?" Reggie asked.

"Hot dog?"

"Twister mentioned that you went to get one."

"Oh, _that_ hot dog. It was great, real…meaty. Did you guys see that masked surfer dude? His moves were sick."

"I can't believe you, Otto!" Reggie put her hands on her hips.

"What?" he said innocently.

"I know that you're Taco Tocket!"

"It's Rocco," Twister corrected her gently.

"What are you talking about, Reg?" Otto remained casual.

"Oh, come on. I don't know how you thought no one would figure this out. First of all, the lame name- " 

"- What's wrong with it?- "

"- Second, your surfing is so obvious! Nobody shows off like you do."

"Hey," Otto said. "I think I'm offended."

"You should be! And what about Raymundo? If I picked up on it, you think he won't?"

"Not if you don't tell him, Rocket Girl. Raymundo's had other things on his mind lately, or haven't you noticed?"

That caught Reggie by surprise. Just when she was ready to write her little brother off as totally self-absorbed and completely insensitive he proved to be the exact opposite.

"I've noticed," she said quietly. 

"Look, Reg, the reason I'm doing this is because the age rule is stupid. I deserve to be in the seniors and so do you. Your birthday is a little over a week away. You'll be 16. You think they couldn't have made an exception? When I win this, it's going to blow that stupid rule out of the water."

"Otto, I'm just not sure that breaking rules is a good way to change them."

"I'll prove it to you, Reggie. My way works. Think about it at least before you say anything. Give me a few days."

Reggie thought about what he was asking. She noticed that Twister was staring at his feet and Sam shifted his weight nervously. Whenever something was off between two of them all four of them were affected. She and Otto were at odds but Sammy and Twister were involved as well, though indirectly. It was the nature of their friendship.

"Okay," Reggie said. "I won't say anything…yet."

Everyone visibly relaxed.

"Now we're talkin', Rocket Girl," Otto said with a grin. "It'll all work out just fine. You'll see."

She certainly hoped so.

***

Lola looked every inch the native Hawaiian that she was. Her long dark hair hung loose down her back and there was a flower tucked over her left ear. She was wearing a pretty red sundress with a white floral pattern and leather sandals that tied around her ankles. Reggie thought that she looked a little fancy to be working behind the counter at the Surfside Café but she also looked completely at home. 

"_Aloha_, Reggie Rocket."

"_Aloha_, Lola."

"What brings you to the Surfside Café today? Back for the loco moco?"

"No thanks, but some fries would be great."

Lola called out the order to the chef and turned back to Reggie. "You were at the Kona Kai today? Everyone's talking about this mystery surfer in an orange mask."

"Yeah, some mystery," Reggie muttered. 

"You don't know who he is, do you?"

"Uh, no… not really."

Lola studied her carefully. "What's going on?"

"Lola, do you have a few minutes just to… talk?"

"Sure. Why don't you go sit in that booth over there, I'll bring your fries over and we'll chat."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Reggie went over and took a seat in the booth. Operation Girl Talk was in motion and she was nervous. After all, she didn't really know Lola that well. Reggie wasn't quite sure why she'd thought of her in the first place except for the fact that there was something very warm and open about her.

Lola placed an order of fries in front of Reggie and sat down across from her. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

"Um, this might be a little odd, but I was hoping you might give me some… advice."

"I'll give it a shot, but I have to admit, I'm known more for my hamburgers than my advice."

Reggie smiled at that and ate a couple of fries. They were crisp and golden brown with just the perfect amount of grease. At that moment, it dawned on her why the Surfside felt so familiar to her, why she was so comfortable here. It totally reminded her of the Shore Shack right down to its yummy French fries. Suddenly she wasn't nervous anymore.

"We'll, there's this guy…" Reggie began. She explained about Twister and how she'd known him forever as a friend but now their relationship had expanded into uncharted territory. She also mentioned Lars and how he was acting funny around her all of a sudden. 

"I see," Lola said. "And this Lars is Twister's brother?"

"Yeah."

"And Twister is your brother's best friend?"

Reggie nodded.

"No wonder you need advice," said Lola.

"What do I do?"

"Well, it sounds like you really like Twister."

"I do."

"If that's the case, then your brother may be upset but it's not his decision. It's between you and Twister and he'll have to learn to accept that."

"You're right," Reggie said, "but I don't want it to mess things up with the four of us, we're kind of a team."

"I know, but you guys are getting older and your relationship is bound to change. That's the way of things. It's scary because it'll be different from what you've known, but it'll work out."

Lola was exactly right but there was still something else gnawing at Reggie. She chewed her lower lip. "What about Lars?" she asked.

"It sounds like he likes you."

"I don't want him to."

"I know, but we never get to choose who likes us. Sometimes we don't even get to choose who we like, it just happens. So the question is, do you like Lars?"

"No… I don't. I don't… think so."

"Ah," was all Lola said.

"He's been a complete asshole… uh, sorry."

Lola wasn't at all phased. "Well, sure, but you could still be attracted to him."

"I'm not."

"Hmmm, just be sure. Sometimes when we know that people like us that's really flattering and we have to figure out whether or not we like them or just the idea that they like us."

Reggie frowned.

"I know," Lola said. "It's hard to follow, but so is a young girl's heart. We have a saying here in Maui- "

"- From the ancient Hawaiians?" Reggie asked thinking of Tito.

"Well, my grandfather said it a lot but he's not ancient." She quoted, "_He limu ke aloha, he pakika i ke one o Mahamoku._ Love is like the slippery moss on the sand of Mahamoku."

"I'm not sure I understand," Reggie said.

"I don't either," Lola replied lightly, "But it sounds good, huh?"

They both laughed and Lola stole one of the last fries from Reggie's plate. 

"Things will work out, Reggie. This is an exciting time in your life and woman to woman that Twister is really cute. He was in here the other day with Tito."

"Tito's here all the time, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's pretty much become a regular. He brings Ray along, too."

It didn't surprise Reggie that Raymundo had been dropping by the café. 

"Do you and my dad…? Never mind, it's none of my business."

"No, Reggie, it is your business, yours and Otto's. I like your father."

"Oh."

"He's been coming by and we've talked a lot. He usually talks about you and your brother and Ocean Shores. It sounds like a great little town."

"It is," she said quietly.

"Your Dad is actually coming by later to take me out."

"Oh."

"He didn't tell you," Lola read the startled look on Reggie's face. "I'm sorry. I know this is a little awkward."

"No… I'm just getting used to it." The idea of Raymundo on a date was somewhat overwhelming. She and Otto had suspected it all along, but being confronted with the reality took some adjusting to. One thought managed to surface, however. "Uh, Lola, I haven't told him about the boy stuff yet."

"Of course," she understood. "This was strictly between us girls. As far as he's concerned, this conversation never even took place."

"Thanks. Well, I… I guess I'll get going." Reggie pulled out a few dollars to pay for the fries but Lola waved her off. 

"Forget it, they're on the house. No charge for the advice either. So anytime you want to talk just drop in and see me."

"Thanks again, Lola. I appreciate it. And… and have a good time tonight."

***

"Are you wearing cologne, Raymundo?" Otto asked as he stepped into his father's hotel room.

"Why?" Ray asked, panicked. "Does it stink?"

"No, but it's pretty strong."

"It's Eternity for Men. The box said that it was strong, yet subtle."

"How does that work?" Otto asked.

"Hell if I know, Rocket Boy."

"And since when do you own cologne?"

"I bought it this afternoon from the gift shop in the hotel."

Otto took a good, long look at his father. Not only was Ray drenched in cologne but instead of the usual t-shirt and boardshorts he was wearing a loose white linen shirt and a crisp pair of khakis freshly pressed. Otto did a double take. Ray's appearance could usually be described as rumpled at best. There was not one wrinkle in sight tonight. He actually looked pretty sharp.

"So, what's the occasion?" Otto asked.

"Damn," Ray swore softly, "I meant to tell you sooner, you and your sister. Where is she?"

Otto shrugged. 

"Well, I kinda have a… date."

"You kinda have a date?"

"All right, I have a date… with Lola."

"Okay." It wasn't really a surprise to Otto, but it wasn't the easiest thing to swallow either.

"Are you all right with this, Otto? Because if you're not I'll call it off. I mean it." Ray was full of nervous energy and he crossed from where he'd been standing in front of the mirror fumbling with the buttons on his shirt to the other side of the room so that he could stand in front of his son.

"I'm okay with it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." 

"Do you think your sister will be?"

"Probably, but she'll want to find out about it from you."

"You're right," Ray said. He began pacing the room. "I'll stop by her room before I leave and explain things." He stalked back over to the mirror and peered into it. "It's just… your mother's been gone so long and I never really thought I'd- "

"- Dad, can we not talk about this right now?"

"Sure I… sure. I'm sorry. This is pretty weird, huh? I should be talking to you about your first date not the other way around." Ray searched through the closet for shoes other than flip-flops or Tevas. Suddenly he stopped and straightened. "You're not dating anyone, are you Otto?"

"Relax, Raymundo."

"You still hate girls, right?"

"Uh…sure," Otto grinned.

"Okay, so you're not seven years old anymore," Ray said ruefully. "I guess there are some things I should tell you about women."

"DAD PLEASE! We did the birds and the bees years ago. You pulled me aside at the Shore Shack and used the salt and pepper shakers to explain, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I did. Well, son, did you have any questions that you wanted to ask me?"

"Not really. I got Tito to explain the part when you poured the salt into the pepper and anything else I had questions about I just asked Twister."

"Twister!" Ray's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You've been getting your information from Twister? Don't get me wrong he's a great kid but he's a few sandwiches shy of a picnic sometimes."

"You're forgetting that Twister has an older brother."

"Lars!" Ray looked as if he were about to pass out.

"I'm joking. Dude, you really must be nervous."

"Otto, don't do that. I'm trying to be a good parent here."

"I know, and a really good parent would not try to talk to his only teenage son about sex just before he left on a date. It's totally creepy!"

"I guess it is."

"Listen, Raymundo, this thing is kinda weird but we're Rockets, we'll deal. We always make it through." With that Otto stood and walked over to the door. "Have a good night," he said.

Ray watched as his son left the room. 

Since when had Otto become the wise, old parent?

***

There was a knock at her door. Reggie put down the book she was reading and looked at the clock. It was after 11. She wasn't sure who would be knocking at this hour but she figured she'd answer anyway. She tossed back the covers, slipped out of bed and walked over to open the door.

Twister was standing in the doorway. He looked furtively over his shoulder before he said, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Reggie said and stood aside. He stepped into her room and quickly shut the door behind him bracing himself against it. "What's going on?" she asked noting his odd behavior.

"Well, it's pretty late and I guess I probably shouldn't be in your room. I thought I was going to get busted standing in front of your door in the hall."

"Who would bust you?" Reggie asked.

"Gee, I don't know, maybe your father? Which reminds me," Twister's eyes darted around the room as if he thought he was being watched, "he'll be checking on you won't he? I shouldn't stay long."

"He won't check on me."

"He won't?"

"He's not here."

"He's not?"

"No. He's on a date. He left Tito in charge and Tito checked on me a couple of hours ago. He's sound asleep by now."

"You mean, I'm not going to get busted?"

"Not by the majors. The minors are another story. Do Otto and Sam know where you are?"

"Are you kidding? They were passed out when I left. I even threw at pillow at Otto's head and he didn't budge. I think spending part of his day as Rocco must've taken something out of him."

Reggie shrugged. "Well, okay. You're not going to get busted… so I think that means we're alone."

Twister let out a deep breath. "For the first time all day."

"Yup."

"Yeah." He took a moment to look at her, really look at her. Twister had spent the whole day looking past or around her, never quite meeting her head on. He had the weirdest fear that if he looked right at her he wouldn't be able to look away. He'd be stuck staring at her, blushing, pining, wanting and it would be plain for anyone to see. But now it didn't matter. They were alone and he let himself stare.

She was wearing a black tank top and a tiny pair of gray sweat-shorts. She was all legs and bare arms and Twister's thoughts swam.

"You're really pretty," he blurted out and startled himself. He'd been thinking it but was surprised to learn that apparently he'd said it out loud as well.

Reggie gave him a wry smile. "Thanks," she said.

Suddenly Twister looked worried. "Reg, I want you to know that that's not why I like you. I mean, it's one of the reasons why I like you but it's not the only one. You're hella smart, super cool, we like the same stuff, nobody works the halfpipe at Madtown like you do and you're crazy talented. That's why I like you. It's… it's all that put together."

"Right," Reggie said, looking thoughtful. Then she said, "Twist, are you gonna kiss me?"

"Hell yeah," he said. He put his hands on her waist, pulled her right up against him and leaned down to kiss her. 

Reggie sighed. She'd been waiting for this all day. She wrapped her arms around his neck and eased up on to her toes to meet his lips. His kiss was soft at first but it grew in intensity and when he finally pulled back to look at her Reggie's fingers had slipped from around his neck and were curled in the front of his shirt. He rested his forehead against hers.

"What are we doing?" he asked.

"Kissing," she said.

"I know that," he grinned. "I mean, we're sneaking around. We can't keep this up. Today was torture."

"I know," she said quietly. She'd been thinking about this all day, about what they were going to do next and now that she was finally with him it was like she didn't want to think about it at all. But she knew they would have to talk about it. 

Reggie let go of his shirt and stepped out of his arms. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the end of it. Twister followed and sat down next to her. 

"I want us to go out," Twister said.

"I want that, too, but there's Otto and then there's Raymundo with his 'no dating until you're 16' rule."

"You'll be 16 in like a week."

"I know. So maybe we don't say anything until after the competition when we get back to Ocean Shores. Some of the pressure will be off, I'll be old enough and in the meantime maybe we can slowly introduce the idea to Otto."

"How do we do that?"

"Not sure yet. Do you think Sammy could help him get used to it?"

"Maybe. You wanna tell the Squid?"

"I think he can handle it. Besides, we're gonna need allies."

"Okay," Twister agreed. "Okay." But there was something else still bothering him. He cleared his throat. "Reg?"

"Yeah?"

"I know we just said we're gonna wait to say anything, but now, while we're here… will you be my secret girlfriend?" 

She smiled at him. "Absolutely." Twister was so sweet. Reggie kissed him on the cheek. 

He titled her chin up and kissed her mouth. She put her arms around him and drew him in closer, opening her mouth against his. Her lips were soft, wet and when they parted his tongue slipped inside to flirt with hers. 

Twister's hands traveled her back and instinctively he began to lean back on the bed with her. Reggie followed him and the next thing he knew he was flat on his back. She leaned over him and their noses touched as she kissed him, her hair hanging down to cover his face.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Twister couldn't quite believe that he was making out with Reggie Rocket. It almost didn't seem real until her hands moved over his chest and down to his stomach. He shivered and moved his lips to her neck, kissing her throat softly.

Reggie felt his fingers on her back beneath the fabric of her tank top and she shifted so that she lay more fully on top of him.

Twister groaned. She felt him tense. He broke his kiss.

"Reg."

Reggie looked at him. "Did I… are you…?"

He nodded.

"Oh my god," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You just…"

She rolled off him and laid on her back beside him. They both stared at the ceiling in silence for a few minutes. 

"Well, secret boyfriend," she said finally. "Why don't we get some sleep."

"I probably shouldn't stay."

"Just an hour," she said. "I'll wake you. I promise."

"I don't think I can sleep." He smiled at her ruefully.

"Okay, let's talk then."

"About what?"

"I don't know, batting averages."

Twister raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"You'd rather count sheep?" she asked.

"Okay, batting averages it is," he said. "Top ten?"

"Top five."

"Gary Sheffield, Braves .342, Mitlon Bradley, Indians .344, Melvin Mora, Orioles .350…"

***

Sunlight poured in through the partially opened drapes and it was bright enough to wake Reggie. The first thing she noticed was the clock by her bed, which told her that it was almost 7:00 in the morning. The second thing was the arm around her waist. She turned over to face him and smiled.

_Lars_, she thought contentedly, before her eyes drifted closed again. 

Moments later she was sitting straight up in bed_. Where the hell had that come from?_ The person across from her was so obviously _not_ Lars. She looked at Twister who was beginning to stir probably due to her sudden movement. His red-blond hair was sticking up all over his head and he yawned loudly before opening his eyes.

"Hey Reg," he said, voice froggy with sleep.

"Twist, we've got a sitch."

"Huh?"

"It's 7:00. In the morning."

It took him a minute to process what she'd said.

"Shit," he muttered and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I meant to wake you." She'd made it through batting averages and RBIs but once they'd hit earned run averages she'd dozed off.

"All right," he said and tossed back the sheets. "Maybe I can slip back into the room without Otto and Sam noticing."

Reggie got out of bed and walked Twister to the door. He opened it a crack and peered into the hallway. 

"Coast is clear," he said.

"Make a run for it," she said and kissed him on the cheek for luck.

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her before he disappeared through the door and shut it quietly. In the hall he paused a moment staring at Reggie's door. She was incredible.

Twister turned to head back to his room and that's when he froze. At the other end of the hall in front of his door was Otto and he was staring right at him.

***


	7. Big Brother

A/N: Sorry for the delay…

****

Chapter 7: Big Brother

It took Otto a moment to realize what he was seeing. There at the end of the hall was Twister coming out of Reggie's room. It was seven o'clock in the morning and Otto had just come back from breakfast in the hotel coffee shop. He was planning on heading out to the beach early to get some practice in before the juniors this afternoon. Sam had been sleeping when he'd left and Twister's bed had been empty. He figured maybe Twist had gotten an early start, too, but that wasn't the case. 

Twister stood there like a deer caught in headlights. He didn't move a muscle. It was almost as if he thought Otto's vision was motion-dependent and if he didn't move Otto wouldn't see him. Twister miscalculated. Movement may have helped him. It would have distracted Otto from noticing the details that had begun to surface. Twister's appearance, for one. He had a wicked case of "bed head" and it was obvious that he'd slept in the clothes he was wearing. He'd slept in those clothes… in Reggie's room… with Reggie. Twister had slept with Reggie.

The thought kicked into place in Otto's mind and he charged down the hallway.

Reggie was climbing back into bed when she heard a thud on the other side of her door and what sounded like the words "rat bastard." She raced back to her door and flung it open only to find Twister on the floor with Otto straddling him. Otto pummeled his best bro mercilessly and Twister had his arms up in a defensive posture covering his face.

"Get off of him!" Reggie yelled. Her voice was loud enough to startle Otto into stopping but also loud enough to draw the attention of several neighbors. The old woman in the room directly across the hall from hers poked her head out with a frown and a door opened at the end of the hall near the room Twister and Otto shared.

Reggie dropped her voice. "Both of you get in here now before Ray and Tito see what's going on!"

Otto weighed her words. He really wanted to continue wailing on Twister (Ray and Tito be damned) but there was a command in Reggie's voice that he responded to instinctively. He got up off of Twister but not before giving him one final slap to the head.

"Get up, punk," Otto snarled as he stalked into Reggie's room.

Twister picked himself up from the floor gingerly. He walked in and Reggie closed the door behind him.

"What the hell is this, Reg?" Otto rounded on her.

"It's not what you're trying to make it," she bit back.

"Oh, it's not? So let me guess," Otto began spinning a scenario. "Twister's never been known for his brains. He goes out late last night for ice and loses his way. He can't find his own room so you take pity on him and let him into yours!"

"That's not what happened." 

"Well, please en-fucking-lighten me! Because I have this crazy idea that you slept with him!"

"And what business is it of yours if I did?!"

"You're my sister!" Otto shouted. "And he's my best friend! Or he used to be."

"Listen, Otto," Twister spoke up. He rubbed a sore rib gently. "We didn't sleep together."

Otto was skeptical. "You slept on the couch?"

"No…" 

"He slept in my bed, okay Otto? But nothing happened."

"How could you disrespect my sister like that, man?"

"I didn't disrespect her. I wouldn't do that. I like her," he said looking at Reggie. "I have for a long time."

"And what about our friendship, huh?" Otto asked Twister.

"I don't see what this has to do with you, Otto," Reggie said. "It's between me and Twister."

"It has everything to do with me!" He turned to his friend. "We were bros, best buds and this is how you treat me?"

"We're still bros. That doesn't have to change because me and Reggie start going out."

"Going out? Going out?" Otto shook his head. "Like hell you will! Wait 'til I tell Raymundo. Let's get him in here so he can see how big a slut you are, Reg."

"Don't," Twister warned, his jaw tight.

"Or you'll what, Maurice?" Otto was ready to fight again.

"Stop it," Reggie said evenly. She was still recovering from the fact that her own brother had called her a slut. That little snot-nosed piece of shit had some nerve. "You are not going to say one word to Raymundo about this."

"I'm not?" he challenged.

"That's right, because the minute you say anything I'll tell him everything I know about the identity of the mystery surfer."

Otto was silent.

"How much does Rocco Tocket mean to you, Otto?" She narrowed her eyes. "Think about it. You keep my secret, I'll keep yours, quid pro quo."

_What the fuck did that mean, quid pro quo?_ Otto thought. He got the gist of what his sister was saying, though. He turned abruptly and stomped out of her room.

"Reggie- " Twister began, but she raised a hand to silence him.

"I can't talk now," she said.

Twister nodded, hurt. He backed out of the room.

***

"Why is everyone acting like their cat just died?" Tito said to Sam. He took a sip of his drink, which was a large fruity concoction with chunks of pineapple and a tiny umbrella settled on the rim of the glass.

"I don't know," Sam said. "I asked but nobody's talking."

The two of them sat by the pool at the hotel. It was a gorgeous day for the junior quarterfinals and hard to believe that within the next 18 hours Tropical Storm Eloise was going to descend on the island.

Sammy thought about Tito's question and tried to answer it in light of the strange events that had taken place this morning. Otto had come bursting back into their hotel room a little after seven and had proceeded to slam around the place muttering under his breath. When Sam had asked him what was wrong he'd simply stalked out and slammed the door behind him. A few minutes later Twister had come in and moped around looking completely despondent. Again, when Sam had asked he got no answer but it was clear that he and Otto'd had some kind of argument.

"Well, I hope you little cuzzes can work this out," Tito said. "This is Maui, the land of the perfect wave. There just shouldn't be strife, you know what I'm saying, Sammy?"

Sam nodded. Tito was right. There shouldn't be strife, but that had never stopped Otto before.

***

Otto stood on the beach outside of the hotel with his surfboard. He'd just finished waxing it for the juniors later on today. Usually he and Twister would wax their boards together before a big match but for obvious reasons Otto was alone today. He didn't give a damn where Twister was anyhow, as long as he wasn't with Reggie. Otto shrugged off those thoughts and told himself that he needed to focus on his surfing. Not that he had anything to worry about this afternoon. The kiddie heats were going to be no sweat. It was all about looking good and taking it easy so that Rocco could swim with the big fish in the seniors. 

Otto tested the surface of the board for traction and, satisfied with his work, prepared to hoist it over his head and carry it back to the hotel. Before he could manage that, however, he was hit hard from behind and found himself sprawled out on the sand. He didn't know what hit him until his right arm was twisted behind his back and he heard a voice say, "Greetings, Rocket Dork." 

"Lars?" Otto struggled but only succeeded in having his arm wrenched tighter behind his back and his face mashed into the sand. 

"Who the hell do you think you are pounding on my little brother?"

Otto spit sand from his mouth. "Mind your business, Lars."

"This is my business, you little prick. When someone fucks with the family, they answer to me."

"Yeah? Well, what about when someone fucks with _my_ family?"

"What?"

"So Twister went crying to his big brother but he didn't tell you why I let him have it."

"Shut up and take your whomping like a man."

"Whatever," Otto said and winced as Lars slapped him in the back of the head. "You just tell your brother to keep his hands off my sister."

"What kind of bullshit are you spewing?"

"No bullshit. Your brother spent the night with Reggie." Otto tensed, fully expecting Lars to punch him repeatedly. Instead the opposite seemed to happen. The pressure on his arm was released and the next thing he knew Lars was hauling him to his feet. 

"He what?" Lars was stunned. 

"I caught him coming out of Reggie's room this morning."

_Well, well, well, _Lars thought,_ that sneaky little punk._ Twister had all but limped into his room earlier today and asked to crash there for a few hours. When Lars had asked him why he'd muttered something about a fight with Otto but hadn't mentioned anything about Reggie at all. 

Lars couldn't quite believe it. His little brother and Reggie Rocket? That didn't even make sense. For starters, she was older than Twist, she was way cooler and she was really pretty. Why in the hell would she even give Twister the time of day especially when Lars was around? 

__

She has to know that I'm into her, Lars thought. He'd more than made it clear, giving her a ride on his bike and all that, unless his "smooth approach" was too subtle. He thought he'd take it easy with Reggie, let her figure out that he wasn't the grade "A" asshole that everyone in Ocean Shores made him out to be. But meanwhile his runty little brother had been making a move. No way no how was Twister going to win this. It was time to ramp things up with Reggie.

Otto watched Lars carefully noting the unfamiliar expression on his face. Could it be that Lars was actually _thinking_? Whatever it was he was certainly distracted and Otto thought he would take advantage of the situation and get a move on before Lars even noticed he was gone. He took a couple of cautious steps to the left and got ready to grab his board and run.

"Not so fast," Lars said, turning his attention back to Otto. "You'd better not be lying about this, dork-wad." He drew back and punched Otto hard in the stomach. The wind was completely knocked out of him. Otto groaned, doubled over and dropped to his knees. _Christ, Lars could throw a punch._

He stared at the sand beneath his hands as he waited for the pain to subside. Finally, he began to draw himself to his feet. When he looked up, Lars was gone.

***

"I couldn't be more proud of you two," Ray said. He was walking down the beach with one arm around Otto and the other around Reggie. Both of them had advanced to the next round in the junior's competition. Reggie had just concluded her heat and they were all headed back to the hotel together. Ray hugged them close, their heads pressed into either shoulder. He totally missed the evil glare that passed between the two teenagers. "Listen, guys, I was thinking we'd all go out to dinner tonight to celebrate."

"What's to celebrate?" Otto said. "We haven't won anything."

"No, but you're on your way. Besides, it'll give us a chance to spend time together as a family. I feel like I've hardly seen you guys since we got here."

__

You've been busy with other things… namely dating, Reggie thought pointedly. But what she said was, "Can we do this some other night, Raymundo? I'm pretty tired."

"Come on, Rocket Girl, rally. It's just dinner."

If it were just dinner then she didn't see why they couldn't do it some other night. She looked up at her dad about to share her thoughts when she noticed the rather shifty look on his face.

"What's going on?" she asked. Her suspicious tone of voice was enough to gain Otto's attention as well. "It isn't just dinner, is it?"

"Sure, it's dinner," Ray began, "I invited someone along, that's all."

"Lola," Otto said.

"Why, as it happens yes. I thought she could join us for dinner and you two could get to know her better."

Total silence. Ray stopped walking.

"You guys like her, don't you?"

"She's nice," Reggie said, which was true but the larger issue was that this whole thing with Raymundo dating still felt really weird. She'd been thinking about it ever since Lola had casually mentioned that Ray was coming by to take her out. Reggie had thought that she would get used to the idea. It's not like it was completely foreign. She'd seen her dad have the occasional crush on someone (there had been Breezy after all) but he'd never really seriously dated anyone. Somehow she'd taken it for granted that he never would. After all, they'd never discussed it and maybe that was part of the problem. There were a lot of things they just didn't talk about because at the crux of it all lay the one subject that no one knew how to handle anymore… Mom. 

"Yeah," Otto was saying, "She's okay, but this whole _family_ dinner thing is lame. She's not family."

Ray stiffened. "Look you two, we're going to dinner tonight and that's the end of it. I'll see you in the lobby at 6:30." He took off walking ahead of them.

Reggie and Otto stared after their dad in shock. He'd just given them major 'tude and pulled parental rank in a way that was completely out of character. Reggie almost turned to Otto until she remembered that she wasn't speaking to him on account of the whole Twister situation. A renewed wave of anger struck her as Otto glared at her and huffed off. 

Reggie put her hands on her hips and kicked the sand in disgust. She could think of nothing worse than some forced dinner where she had to contend not only with her father's potential girlfriend but with her own temper as she tried to keep from smashing Otto's face in.

***

Most of the meal had gone by in uncomfortable silence. Ray had tried to engage his kids in conversation but they were now forty-five minutes into dinner and he'd just about given up. Reggie and Otto just weren't talking, not even to each other. They were respectful of Lola and courteously polite, but they were also curiously distant and no matter how he'd tried to draw them out they just seemed to shut down. Ray had asked Otto about his chances of winning the Kona Kai, knowing that there was no way his son could pass up an opportunity to expound on his abilities, especially when it came to surfing. Otto had responded with a one-word answer and that had been the end of that.

Reggie pushed her food around on her plate. This was painful. The restaurant was some super fancy place out on the water. It was so fancy that Raymundo was wearing a jacket and he'd even wrestled Otto into a button down shirt. Ray's tyranny hadn't ended there, however. He'd barked at Reggie to "put on something nice" and she'd fished out the one crumpled sundress that she'd packed from the bottom of her suitcase. She hadn't worn it since last summer and it was shorter and tighter than she remembered but it'd passed muster with the maitre d' who hadn't refrained from scowling openly at Otto's scuffed Converse as he'd seated them. 

She didn't see why they had to come to this place. Reggie would have been much more comfortable at the Surfside Café where they wouldn't have had to dress up and at least the food would have been good. She guessed that Raymundo was trying to impress Lola, but Lola wasn't the kind of person who was impressed by fancy restaurants. That much was obvious. Why didn't Raymundo see that? 

To her credit Lola didn't let the family tension ruffle her. She went on with the meal and even managed to tell a couple of stories about her life growing up in Maui that had Otto and Reggie laughing despite themselves. The awkward silences didn't seem to bother her. She simply let them pass. 

Reggie couldn't help but admire her. She really did like Lola but the way Raymundo was handling things made the situation awkward. This forced dinner was way too artificial. She felt like Ray was trying to stage some sort of family bonding and expected them to be on their best behavior. Both she and Otto had bristled at the notion. It hadn't been hard for them to take the anger brewing between the two of them and direct part of it toward Ray in revenge for putting them through this dog and pony show. Somehow, there was an unspoken agreement between them on this point, in fact, it could only be unspoken because they refused to speak to each other. 

The evening wore on and eventually the silence at the table began to weigh on Reggie. They were all done eating but Ray and Lola lingered over coffee. Reggie removed her napkin from her lap and placed it beside her plate.

"May I be excused, Raymundo?" she asked, her voice tinged with sarcasm. This was a formality that they never observed at home but Reggie felt that it suited the stuffiness of their surroundings.

Ray studied his daughter. It was one of the few things that Reggie had said all night. "Why?" he asked.

"I need to powder my nose," she offered, which sounded a lot better than: _I have to get away from this table before I scream._

"All right," he nodded.

Reggie got up from the table and headed for the ladies room but once she rounded the corner she made a beeline for the exit. It was a beautiful night with a cool breeze blowing in off the ocean. She considered walking home from here. They weren't far from the hotel, maybe half an hour on foot. Raymundo probably wouldn't appreciate it if she just walked off, though. She knew she had to go back in there, but she could at least spend a few minutes delaying the inevitable.

Reggie walked past the edge of the parking lot around to the side of the restaurant. She had a clear view of the part of the building that extended out over the water on a kind of pier. The main dining room took up most of the pier and through the large glass windows that allowed a panoramic view of the ocean she could just make out her dad, brother and Lola.

She sighed. It had been such a long day and it'd pretty much gone down hill from the start. The waking up with Twister part had been nice but everything that followed had been a major bummer. Reggie realized she hadn't even spoken to Twister since this morning. He'd wanted to talk after the fight with Otto but she'd been so worked up over the whole thing that she just hadn't been able to. She hoped he wasn't angry with her for brushing him off.

"Pssst, Danger Girl," a voice whispered.

Reggie turned in the direction of the sound and saw Lars emerging out of the shadows. Her eyes widened in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," he said, coming to stand in front of her.

"What? How did you even know- "

"- It's no big secret where you went to dinner. Dullard practically volunteered the information." Reggie narrowed her eyes. Lars claimed that he was a changed man yet she couldn't help but wonder what he meant when he'd said "volunteered." In the past his idea of "voluntary" had always involved him twisting someone's arm… literally. She hoped that Sammy was okay.

"Easy, Reg," he said, sensing her suspicions. "I come in peace."

She considered that statement. It was most likely untrue. Lars was always up to something. There was a glint in his eyes that confirmed this. He stood in front of her beneath a pale moon, which bathed his features in soft light. If she didn't know him she might actually believe that his intentions were honorable. He would be just another moonlit guy in faded jeans and a black wife-beater. But he wasn't. The dragon tattoo stood out on his left arm where it wound its way around lean muscle. He wore a black knit cap which hid most of his hair but his dark ponytail snaked out from beneath the back of it. 

On second thought if she didn't know him she'd still have a hard time believing his innocence. The knit cap made him look like a thug and there was a slight shadow along his jaw, which Reggie realized was faint stubble. It only enhanced the impression that he was trouble.

And speaking of trouble, the real trouble was that she _did_ know him. It didn't matter how he was dressed or even much what he said, she knew that the grin that tugged at the left corner of his mouth was far from harmless.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

He let his eyes drift over her lazily taking in the short sundress from its hem that fluttered around her thighs to the thin straps that ran over her bare shoulders.

"I have a message for you."

"A message?"

"From Twister."

__

Why would Twister give Lars a message for her? Lars didn't even know they were going out. Or did he?

Lars saw the look of disbelief on her face. 

"It's important," he said.

"Why didn't he come himself if it's so important?"

"I've got wheels," he explained and nodded to his motorcycle parked nearby.

Reggie frowned. Something about the story rang false but she couldn't figure out what Lars stood to gain by lying.

"What's the message?" she asked.

"This," he said.

Lars leaned down and kissed her.


	8. Storm and Stress

****

Chapter 8: Storm and Stress

Reggie was slow to react. She'd seen it coming but for some reason his slow, leaning movement failed to register as a prelude to a kiss. Then all of a sudden he was kissing her and when her mind finally caught up with what his lips were doing it was too late. This was what he'd been aiming for all along.

She pulled back with the intention of pushing him away at the shoulders but Lars had taken hold of her just behind her elbows and with her arms bent and resting on his chest she had no leverage against him. He held her firm. She craned her neck to break the kiss but Lars stayed close. His lips brushed along her jaw as she turned her head away from him and his mouth came to rest below her right ear. 

Reggie shivered in spite of herself.

That made her angry.

"Let go of me!" she said and gave him a hard shove. It was enough to break his hold. "That wasn't a message from Twister."

"It could've been. From what I hear it's not unusual for him to kiss you." He gave her a wry smile.

"And so you thought that made it okay for you to kiss me?" she demanded.

"What I thought, Reggie, is that I wanted to kiss you, so I did."

"Lars, you had no right- "

"- Reggie!" She was interrupted as someone called her name. It was Raymundo and it sounded like his voice was coming from in front of the restaurant.

She panicked. The whole situation would just look bad if she were discovered in the dark with Lars.

"Get out of here!" she whispered to him. She turned to run meet Ray before his search led him right to her. 

Lars slipped away into the shadows as quietly as he'd emerged. 

When Reggie reached the front of the restaurant she saw Ray standing just outside of the entrance.

"There you are," he said. "You were away so long we sent Lola into the ladies room to make sure you hadn't fallen in. She thought you might've gone out for air."

"Yup, that's exactly what I did," Reggie said, relieved that Ray, or rather, Lola had provided her with the perfect excuse. "I was out here in the air, just breathing it right on in."

"Well, I guess you're ready to leave. You and Otto have made that pretty clear."

"Dad, I- " she began, but stopped abruptly. She did feel guilty about the way she'd been acting tonight but she still had her reasons for resenting Raymundo's behavior. Her father looked at her expectantly, but the brief moment when she'd considered apologizing had past. "Never mind," she said.

Ray sighed. "Okay, Rocket Girl. Let's go home."

***

Driving rain pounded against the windows of the hotel. Sheets of water partially obscured the view from room 817 at the Grand Wailea Resort but what little could be seen consisted of palm trees bending almost double in wind gusts of up to 80 mph. This was day 3 of Tropical Storm Eloise, which had spent the past 2 days flirting with hurricane status. This coy flirtation had kept everyone confined to their rooms and the lack of outdoor activity was driving everybody to the end of their ropes.

Reggie sought to make use of her time spent indoors working on the 'Zine's new web site. She and Sammy sat in her room diligently hashing out the details of the site while trying to ignore the howling winds outside. They were parked in front of Sam's laptop screen, bathed in its glow. He'd been teaching Reggie the basics of HTML but somehow the mini-lesson had evolved into a rousing speech extolling the virtues of Flash programming.

Reggie nodded heartily at Sam's words but truth be told she wasn't paying the least bit of attention. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Lars and how he'd jumped out of the bushes, grabbed her and kissed her without remorse. Okay, so maybe he hadn't jumped out of any bushes and maybe she was remembering it just a bit differently 3 days after the fact, but it was still probably one of the most unsettling things that had happened to her all week and she couldn't help but think of it with a little added drama. The drama, by the way, always included Lars in the role of the villain. It was a role at which he excelled, lurking in the shadows, whomping innocents, striking terror into the hearts of the young and unabashedly kissing his brother's girlfriend. 

Every time she thought about that kiss she got angry. He hadn't even asked her. He'd just started kissing. That wasn't even remotely polite. Had he just expected that she would melt into his arms? That she would be overwhelmed and simply fall into a swoon? As if! 

Lars was so lame. Lame-o Lars. So what if he could kiss. So what. Who cared when he was such an asshole? 

"Reggie!" Sam said for the fourth time and finally succeeded in startling her out of her reverie. "You haven't heard a word I said. You just nodded when I asked you if you'd like some paper cuts."

"Huh? Oh, Sammy, I'm sorry."

"What's going on with you?"

She sighed. "I don't know. Everything's a mess."

"Would you care to elaborate?" he asked. 

Reggie opened her mouth with every intention of telling him "no" but all of a sudden the whole story came tumbling out, from her secret romance with Twister to the fight with Otto to the lip-lock with Lars. Sam stared at her from behind the black, plastic frames of his glasses listening carefully as she unloaded the events of the past few days.

"I knew something was up," Sam said after she had finished. "I just didn't realize it was so complex. Twister and Otto weren't talking to each other, that much was obvious. You weren't talking to Otto and then Lars shook the crap out of me until I told him where you went to dinner the other night. I thought everybody had sunstroke or something. You were all acting so weird."

Reggie shrugged sheepishly.

"So, you and Twist, huh?" Sam asked. "He's had a crush on you for a while now."

"He told you?"

"No, but it's pretty obvious. Twister's an open book." 

"I don't see why Otto's so shocked then."

"Deep down he's not. If he'd ever bothered to think about it, he'd have figured it out long before now. Trouble is he doesn't want to think about it—not about his sister dating and not about anything coming between him and his best bro."

"Sam, I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"I know, Reg, and Otto will learn to deal. He's just… well he's Otto. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I know."

Reggie sighed. She wondered what Twister was up to. She'd seen him briefly at breakfast this morning for what seemed like the first time in a couple of days. It was hard for them to sneak off to spend time together with everyone confined to the hotel. When she finally did see him this morning she'd spent their time together feeling guilty about what had happened with Lars. The kiss hadn't been her fault and she'd had every intention of telling Twist all about it, but somehow she'd just lost her nerve.

So Twister didn't know. And maybe he shouldn't. It's not like it was going to happen again. She'd made that crystal clear to Lars. Hadn't she?

"…I give up," Sam was saying. "Why don't we do this some other time when you won't keep zoning out on me."

"Sorry. I guess I've just got a lot on my mind."

"No big deal, Reggie. Look, I'll just put together a couple sample pages for the site and you can take a look tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Sam."  


***

Twister couldn't take it any more. His brother had been making contented clucking noises for the past hour. Lars was stretched out on his bed facing the ceiling with an arm thrown across his eyes but he wasn't sleeping, he was making too much damn noise for that. It was obvious that he wanted Twister to ask why he was so content and finally, having put up with it for longer than he could bear, Twister gave in.

"What?" he ground out.

Lars stifled a chuckle. "Nothing at all, baby bro."

"Aw, come on, Lars, you're up to something."

"What are you talking about? I'm laying here relaxing. Nothing else to do on a day like this." Rain spattered relentlessly against the windows of the room.

"I'm sure there're little kids wandering around the hotel looking for someone to steal their candy."

"Now, Maurice, what kind of a guy do you think I am?"

Twister opened his mouth to answer but snapped it shut. Mom was always saying if you didn't have anything nice to say, don't say it. He glared over at his older brother. Normally they wouldn't even spend this much time together, but the fight with Otto had Twister avoiding the room that they shared. Instead he'd been sleeping in here with Lars and Pi, but he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep this up. Dealing with an angry Otto was beginning to seem appealing when the only other option was to spend quality time with his skeezy brother. 

Twister stood and decided that he had to get out of this room. One more minute cooped up with Lars and he might just explode. He walked over to the door and had his hand on the knob when Lars stopped him with a question.

"Where ya goin'? Off to see your girlfriend?"

Twister stiffened. 

"I've got to hand it to you, she's pretty hot."

"Shut up, Lars."

"Who knew scrawny little Reggie Rocket would turn into such a babe."

"I said shut up, Lars!" Twister's fingers tightened on the doorknob. He knew that Lars was baiting him and knew quite clearly that he should just leave the room. It wasn't worth it. But there was something in his older brother's voice when he spoke Reggie's name, something smug and disturbing. _Leave_, Twister thought. He pulled open the door.

"She's a good kisser, too," Lars added casually almost as if it were an afterthought.

Twister froze. _Lars was just baiting him… Lars was just baiting him_, the thought raced through his mind again. "How the hell would you know?"

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend?"

Twister spun around to look at him. Lars was still on the bed but he was no longer facing the ceiling. He'd propped himself up on his elbows and was staring hard at Twister. There was an open challenge in his eyes and an awful certainty. Twister's stomach clenched.

"You asshole!" he yelled and stormed out of the room.

***

Sam had packed up his laptop and was just about to leave when the door to Reggie's room flew open and knocked him in the face. Reggie looked up in time to see Sam stumble backward. Her eyes moved quickly to the doorway where Twister stood chest heaving.

"Have some courtesy for the guy in glasses," Sam muttered when Twister didn't apologize. Reggie took one look at Twister's face and knew why he hadn't said anything to the Squid. Something was terribly wrong. 

"Twist?" she questioned softly.

"Lars…" he began and took a deep breath to steady himself. 

Sam stiffened visibly. "Uh, I'm gonna get going." He pushed past Twister in the doorway and made a hasty exit. 

Twister took another calming breath and walked a few steps into the room. He realized that he was most likely overreacting. Lars was full of shit and he'd do just about anything to rile his little brother. There was no way in hell he should believe what Lars had hinted at back in their room. But he liked Reggie so much that even the slightest suggestion that Lars had kissed her was enough to drive him crazy. He had to know. He had to be sure. 

"Lars…" he tried again but couldn't seem to get the words out. His chest was tight, his breath caught in his throat. He lifted his eyes to hers and that's when he saw it, the look on her face. 

Reggie paled as she held his gaze. Lars must have told him about the kiss.

"It's true," Twister said flatly, answering his own question before he'd even asked it. He thought back to breakfast this morning. She'd been jumpy, a little uncomfortable and now it all made sense. She'd been hiding it from him. It was written all over her face.

"Twister, no." Reggie jumped to her feet. "Listen, I should have told you- "

"- What's to tell, Reg?" he began backing toward the door.

"Twister, let me explain. Lars kissed me- "

"- Sure he did. He kissed you," he repeated blankly. Reggie could see the hurt in his eyes and the anger that roiled beneath the surface.

"No, Twister, listen! I pushed him away!" She moved toward him. "It was nothing- "

"- It wasn't nothing!" Twister shouted suddenly. He whirled and Reggie watched as he drew back and punched the wall. The wall didn't give but Twister's hand did. His knuckles were scraped raw and bleeding, though he didn't seem to notice. He looked back at her once, anger seething in his eyes before he took off down the hall.

***

Reggie splashed cold water onto her face and looked in the bathroom mirror. Her eyes were still puffy and her nose was red. It was obvious that she'd been crying no matter how much water she splashed on her face. _Pull yourself together Rocket Girl. So you had a fight with Twister, big deal_, she thought. But it was a big deal. He'd left out of here so angry and with the total wrong idea about her and Lars. First off, there wasn't even a "her and Lars" to have the wrong idea about. They were so _not_ an item.

She heard a faint sound and cocked her head looking away from the mirror. It sounded like there was someone at her door. _Please let it be Twister,_ she thought, _then I can explain everything…and apologize._ Reggie crossed the room to the door and pulled it open softly.

Sam stood in the hall. 

"Oh," Reggie said, disappointed.

Sam took one look at her and knew she'd been crying but thankfully he didn't say anything about it. Instead he asked, "Twister's not in here with you, is he?"

She shook her head. 

It was Sam's turn to look disappointed. "Well, there goes my last guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody's seen Twister for the past few hours. I thought he might've been with you but it looks like that's not the case."

"Nobody's seen him?"

"Well, the last person to see him seemed to be the front desk clerk in the lobby. He said he saw Twister leave around two."

"Leave? In _this_?" her voice grew concerned as she gestured to the raging storm outside.

Sam nodded his face grim.

***

"What I don't understand is why he'd go out in the middle of a major tropical storm," Ray said. "What's he thinking? He's not making another one of his movies is he?" He looked over at his son. They were all gathered in the hotel lobby keeping watch for Twister.

Otto looked at his dad and shrugged in answer to his questions. But the next moment he cut his sister a dirty look. He wasn't sure what had happened to Twister but he didn't hesitate to blame Reggie. She had already stolen his best bro and it wouldn't surprise him one bit if she had somehow managed to force him out into the storm.

Reggie was already riddled with guilt. She didn't need Otto giving her the stink eye to make her feel bad. If only she'd told Twister about the kiss then she could've defused the situation before Lars had even had a chance to say anything. And speaking of Lars, where the hell was he? This was as much his fault as it was hers. How could he do something like that to his brother? There were times when she wanted to break Otto's skateboard over his head, but she'd never do anything to hurt him so deeply, at least, not intentionally. 

Reggie stood and began pacing. "Shouldn't we be doing more than sitting here? Can't we help look or something?"

"Easy, little cuz," Tito placed a hand on Reggie's shoulder. "We don't need to lose anyone else to that _Makani pahili_. Besides, we're doing everything we can. We've talked to the police and even though he hasn't been gone long enough to be officially missing, they're keeping an eye out for him. Don't worry. There aren't too many places he could be in weather like this without someone noticing."

"You mean there aren't too many _safe_ places he could be without someone noticing," she said glumly.

Otto held his silence.

***

"Come on, Reg," Ray said softly. He shook his daughter's shoulder in an attempt to wake her. She stirred where she was curled up on one of the couches in the hotel lobby.

"Raymundo?" she muttered as she opened her eyes. "Huh? What time is it?"

"It's a little after midnight."

Groggy, Reggie looked around. She was in the hotel lobby, it was dark and it took her a moment to remember why she was there. The realization hit her all at once and with it her sense of panic returned.

"Twister," she said. "Did we find- ?" She stopped as she caught sight of her dad shaking his head no. Utterly exhausted, she felt tears well up in her eyes.

Ray noticed them, too, and he pulled her into his arms for a comforting hug. "Don't cry, Reg. We'll find him. I promise." He rubbed her back gently. "You know Twister. That hard head of his can survive anything. A storm like this is nothing. Remember when he and Otto went out in the middle of that hurricane?"

She sniffled a reply.

"Those two are crazy sometimes. I think they egg each other on. Twister never would've done that by himself and Otto may have thought about it, but even your brother couldn't have done something so stupid alone. But together? Forget it. They're partners in crime." The ghost of a smile touched Ray's lips. Reggie couldn't see it, but she could hear it in his next words. "Reminds me a bit of me and Tito," he said quietly.

She pulled back from her dad to look at him and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

"How's Otto?" she asked.

"Not so good," he said. "He's trying to act like he's not worried but I can tell it's getting to him. If I'm not mistaken I think his eyes were a little damp about an hour ago. I don't see who he's trying to convince with his tough guy act."

Reggie gave him a wry smile. "You don't?" she sniffed.

"What are you…? Me? You think he's trying to… impress me?"

"If there's one thing I've noticed about the Rocket men, it's that it's important for them to look tough on the outside even when they're hurting on the inside."

"Jeez, Rocket Girl, I thought I was supposed to be the one with words of wisdom to share."

"You've got plenty of wisdom, Raymundo," she gave him a full on smile. "It's just that sometimes with Otto you guys are too much alike for your own good."

"And sometimes, Regina Rocket, you're too smart for your own good," he said playfully. "You remind me of your mom."

There was an awkward silence as Ray's last words lingered. Reggie felt the familiar ache begin. It was a mixture of longing and sadness that seemed to throb in her chest at the mention of that one word _mom_.

Ray cleared his throat. "Maybe you should talk to your brother then, and tell him it's okay to show his feelings. I mean, since you've got us all figured out."

"I don't think Otto wants to talk to me right now."

"Why? Are you two fighting?"

She really wanted to just tell her dad everything, but in order to explain the fight with Otto she'd have to spill her feelings for Twister and that wasn't something she was ready to do. Come to think of it, she didn't think Ray was ready for her to do it either. It would be super awkward talking about boys with her dad. She remembered his attempt at the "sex talk" and how for some reason it had involved the use of condiments. It hadn't been pretty.

"No," Reggie lied. "I just think he probably wants to be alone right now."

"Yeah, it's late anyway. That's why I woke you. The others already went upstairs."

Reggie looked around. Sure enough they were the only ones left in the lobby. Ray stood.

"Why don't you come up, Reg."

"I am. I will. Go ahead, Dad. I'll be there in a minute. I just… I just want to sit for a moment."

"Okay, I'll head up. But knock on my door before you turn in so I know you're not crashed out in the lobby." She nodded and watched her dad walk off toward the elevators. 

Reggie put her face in her hands. She was close to tears again thinking about how it was after midnight and they still hadn't found Twister. 

The rain continued to pound against the windows and glass doors of the lobby, though the winds had died down. Sam had told them earlier that Eloise would be through with them in the next day or so and Reggie certainly hoped that this was true. It would make finding Twister a lot easier when the storm let up…unless he didn't want to be found.

Suddenly one of the lobby doors crashed open and in stumbled a completely drenched figure. Reggie jumped to her feet hoping it was Twister and knowing that it wasn't almost instantly. He was too tall, the hair too dark, his stance entirely different. It was Lars.

He secured the door behind him and trudged into the darkened lobby wearing a long raincoat that looked as if it had been borrowed from the police or maybe even the coast guard. His hair was plastered down flat against his head and some of it stuck to his face. Water rolled off of the raincoat and squelched from his sodden sneakers as he dragged himself across the room to sit down on one of the couches. He was so tired that he didn't even notice Reggie standing no more than two feet away from him until she called his name softly.

He started on the sofa. "Reg? What are you doing up?"

"What do you think? I'm waiting for Twister to come back."

"Leave it to him to run off where no one can find him."

"Is that where you've been all this time? Searching?"

"Naw, Reggie. I _like_ going out in storms," he said sarcastically.

She glared at him.

"What?" he asked defensively. 

"It's your fault he's out there."

"My fault?" Lars slicked the hair back from his face.

"You told him I kissed you and he ran out of here."

"Sounds like your fault to me since you did the kissing."

Reggie put her hands on her hips. "I did not do the kissing. _You_ kissed _me_, without my permission I might add." 

Lars shrugged. "Who knew he would get so bent out of shape?"

"You did or else you wouldn't have told him. How could you do something like that? How could you deliberately hurt your own brother?"

"Listen," he turned to stare at her, "what about when Twister hurts me?"

"Come off it, Lars. Twister never hurts you. You're his older brother. In some weird way he probably even looks up to you."

"No, Reggie. You see, that's where you're wrong." His voice was bitter. "Maybe a long time ago when he was just a little dude… maybe then he looked up to me. But he only looks up to one person now."

She gave him a puzzled look.

"Hell," Lars said. "You oughta know who it is. You're related to him."

Reggie blinked as everything seemed to click into place. _Otto. If anyone was Twister's idol it was Otto. _

"Lars, are you…?" Reggie began, but couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence. _Jealous _was the word she stopped short of uttering. 

"What is it about you Rockets?" Lars asked. "You got all of Ocean Shores eating out of the palm of your hand."

She bit her lip, not sure how to respond.

"There's Otto, the golden boy and then there's you, Reggie. Yeah… Reggie Rocket." His eyes held hers. "Too good for me, huh?"

"Lars- "

"- Not for my little brother, though." He rubbed a hand over his face. "Not for Twister." Lars stood up from the couch. "Well, fuck if I know where he is, Reggie Rocket. Sorry I can't fix it for you. Sorry it's not all working out like it should. Sorry you kissed the bad guy and liked it. It's all out of order, huh?" He turned his back on her then and took one last look at the rain as it pelted the doors and windows of the lobby. "That's some storm, huh? We're not in Ocean Shores anymore."

A/N: So glad to be back on track writing this! And thrilled to see that there is finally a Rocket Power section! Reviews always welcome!


	9. Lost and Found

A/N: Thanks as usual for the reviews and a shout out to Relaxing Pikachu for the chapter by chapter analysis! You also get 50 points for correctly guessing Twister's whereabouts. And here are a few random answers to the random questions… I know nothing about Hawaii, except that I want to go there. I credit the web with the Hawaiian terms, surfing descriptions and lingo. And as much as I hate to admit it, I think I owe a debt to _Blue Crush._

****

Chapter 9: Lost and Found

Reggie had been having a nightmare. It was awful. It was one of those dreams that left her heart pounding and her chest tight with anxiety. She'd dreamed that Twister was lost in a twister and that Lars had been out searching for him. Lars had been unable to find him and then they'd had some kind of confrontation that had kept her up half the night crying.

Wait a minute.

That wasn't a nightmare. It was true. It was her life.

Reggie opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was just beginning to get light outside, which meant that it had to be early morning. 

__

Since when had things gotten so crappy? Here she was in Hawaii at a surf competition that she had a great shot at winning and just days away from her 16th birthday. Things had been so awesome! She'd even had a boyfriend! Then all of a sudden the storm rolled in, literally as well as metaphorically. 

Well, that just freakin' sucked! This was supposed to be one of the best summers on record, not some WB teen melodrama.

Pale rays of light began to slant across the room. First, they struck the carpet but within several minutes they crept up across the foot of her bed, startlingly brighter. 

Reggie squinted.

__

The sun. That's what it was. They hadn't seen the sun for the past 3 days and now it was back with a fiery vengeance. 

She raised her hand to shield her eyes and looked out through the open curtains. She hadn't bothered to close them yesterday. There'd been nothing but rain beating against the windows and the sky had been dark. But now, Tropical Storm Eloise was nowhere in sight. 

Reggie dragged herself out of bed and crossed over to the sliding glass door that led to a small balcony. She opened the door and breathed in the air from outside. It was still damp but even this early in the morning the sun's crisp heat was beginning to dry things out. Steam rose from the tops of plants and trees as the water coating the leaves began to evaporate.

The storm was over.

***

"Reg, we found him!" Sam was so excited he could hardly breathe. Reggie was full of questions but she allowed Sam to draw several deep breaths from his inhaler. He bent over hands on his knees as if he had just run a great distance. He bowed his head and sucked in another breath, his spiky blonde hair obscuring the "N" on his ratty, yellow t-shirt.

"Take it easy, Sammy. What happened?"

Reggie was standing on the beach not far from the hotel. Like most of the guests as soon as the day had dawned bright and clear she'd been drawn outside by the beautiful weather. Unlike most of the guests she'd been about to start her own search for Twister.

"It's Twister. He's back! Lola found him."

"When? Where is he?"

"Come on," Sam grabbed her hand. "He's in Raymundo's room."

He led her up the beach toward the hotel. They crossed through the pool area on the way to the hotel entrance and though Reggie was anxious to see Twister, what she saw poolside was enough to stop her in her tracks. There, on the end of a beach chair, his head hanging, shoulders hunched, forearms resting on his knees was…

"Otto?" she said softly. Her brother quickly drew an arm across his face before looking up.

"Hey," Otto tried to sound casual, but his voice cracked.

Was it possible that he had been crying? _No way._

"Sam just told me they found Twist."

"I saw him."

"Oh," Reggie shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah," Otto muttered. He stood and paced a moment. Then he turned sharply and kicked the chair he'd just been sitting on. "I never met anybody as stupid as he is!"

Sam and Reggie watched in silence as Otto stalked off out of the pool area headed toward the beach.

"Whoa," Sam said. "Do you think Otto was…?"

"I dunno, Sammy. It looked that way, but I'm not sure. The last time I even saw him come close to crying he was four years old and Raymundo told him he wasn't allowed to sleep with his skateboard anymore."

"Well, um- " Sam began, unsure what to say.

"- We'll worry about Otto later," Reggie cut him off. "Right now I just want to see Twister."

***

Ray and Lola were talking softly outside of his room when Reggie and Sam showed up. 

"Is he okay?" Reggie asked, cutting right to the chase.

"He's fine," Ray said. "A little banged up, but I've seen him turn up with worse after one of your street hockey games." 

"So how did you find him?"

"Well," Lola began, "I was on my way back from picking up my mother. She's older and I didn't like the idea of her being alone at her house once I heard reports that the roads were beginning to flood. On the way back to my house we came across some beach chairs and huge pieces of wood scattered across the road. I guess maybe there used to be a beach chair rental shack or something. Anyway, we had to swerve to avoid some of the debris and that's when my mother noticed your friend. He was unconscious and there was wood from the shack on top of him. We managed to pull him out and took him home with us."

"Oh my god!" Reggie exclaimed.

"It's okay, Rocket Girl," Ray soothed.

"Yeah," Lola agreed. "It sounds a lot more dangerous than it actually was. We're just lucky the wind had died down when we found him or else we might not been able to stop and pull him out."

"And you're sure he's okay?" Reggie said.

"Why don't you and Sam see for yourselves," Ray replied as he opened the door of the room for them.

Sam took one step forward and then stopped.

"You go ahead, Reg. I'll wait. I mean, I don't want to overtax Twister. Maybe it's better if we go in one at a time."

"Thanks, Sammy," Reggie said quietly.

She walked slowly into the room shutting the door behind her. She took care not to make too much noise in case Twister was sleeping. He was lying in bed on his side facing away from her. 

"Twister?" she called softly. There was no response. Reggie stood in silence for a moment before taking a few steps closer to the bed. 

"Reggie," he said finally, without turning to face her.

"Twist, I'm so glad you're back."

"Are you, Reggie?"

"Of course I'm- " she stopped as he turned over to look at her. Even though Ray had mentioned it she wasn't prepared for the bruises. The whole left side of his face was swollen, the skin purplish along his cheek surrounding his eye. There was a small cut above his right eyebrow and she noticed a nasty scrape that ran the length of his left forearm. "Of course, I'm glad," she finished, and sat on the side of the bed.

Carefully, Reggie extended a hand to touch his face. 

He winced as her fingers gently brushed his cheek. "Don't, Reg." Twister turned away.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know it must hurt."

He didn't respond.

"I heard Otto saw you earlier," she said, not certain where to begin.

"Yeah."

"Are you two still…? I mean, did he apologize?"

"Nope. Just stood there. Didn't say one word. After a few minutes he left."

"He was really upset when you left," she said softly. "So was I."

There was another awkward pause. Reggie wanted to take his hand. It lay right next to where she sat on the bed. But there was something that kept her from doing it. Maybe it was the way he avoided meeting her eyes.

Twister did finally look at her, though. His gaze was steady as he said, "Why didn't you tell me about Lars from the beginning?"

"There was nothing to tell until a few days ago and even then it's not what you're thinking."

"You don't know what I'm thinking, Reggie." His voice was harsh.

"Twister, please, hear me out. The night that Ray took me and Otto out to dinner, Lars showed up at the restaurant. He said he had a message from you. I know it didn't make sense but when I asked him what it was, he kissed me. Listen, I pushed him away! I told him he had no right—that he's a total jerk and that was it. I should've told you right away but I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

"The wrong idea?" he asked. "Maybe _this_ is the wrong idea."

"What do you mean?"

"_This_…_us_."

"Twister- "

"No, Reggie. Maybe it's better if we don't do this. I mean, my best bro hates me because I like his sister. His sister wants to be with my brother." He shrugged. "Maybe we should just… stop."

"Stop? Twist, no. I… I really like you. I don't want to be with Lars! I don't want us to… Twister, are you breaking up with me?" Reggie searched his face, desperate for an answer. 

Twister knew that he couldn't manage the words so he nodded.

Reggie felt, oddly, cold. A sense of shock settled over her. _He was breaking up with her?_ She nodded, twice, because she couldn't think of anything to say. She couldn't quite process what was happening. Her body took over and she stood slowly. Somehow she walked to the door. Somehow she left the room and part of her, a sad and angry part of her, slammed the door behind her.

***

"What are you doing, man?" Otto asked.

"What we always do before a match," Twister replied. "I'm waxing my board." 

It had been two days since Twister's return and no one had seen him since that first morning. So Otto was a bit shocked to see his former best bro sit down next to him on the beach. Twister laid his board out in front of him and began scraping the old wax from it with a rubber comb. Otto stared at him, expecting more of an explanation, but Twister didn't look up. Instead he worked steadily, scrubbing away the wax build-up on the board's surface.

Otto turned back to his own board and grabbed his bar of wax. The two of them worked sitting side by side in complete silence. Otto let his thoughts drift to the senior semifinals tomorrow. He'd already made it to the finals in the junior competition—winning that title would be _Otto-matic_. So, he focused his energy on the senior semifinals where Rocco would make his second appearance. He didn't know who he'd be surfing against yet. The match-ups would be announced tomorrow morning before the start of the competition. If he could get one more practice session in this afternoon, he'd be ready to rip at the seniors. 

Otto looked over at Twister again. The silence was killing him. Still Twister said nothing.

"Why are you here?" Otto asked finally.

"I told you," Twister answered. "I'm waxing my board with my best bro like I always do."

"Wait a minute," Otto began, his voice rising. "If you think because I let you sit here that I'm okay with you and Reggie- "

"- Look, Otto, you were right, okay?" Twister threw down his comb. "I never should have thought that this thing with me and Reggie was going to work out. Is that what you want to hear? You were right. I was wrong. I said it. Now can we please just wax our boards?"

"You mean, you and Reggie aren't…?"

"No."

They sat in silence for a minute.

"What happened?" Otto was confused.

"I just… I told her it was a bad idea."

"Are you saying that you _dumped_ my sister?"

"Whoa! I didn't dump… well, I guess I broke up with- "

"- You dumped my sister!" Otto was strangely indignant. He should have been relieved that Twister and Reggie weren't together, but for some reason deep down he was disappointed. 

"Dude!" Twister exclaimed. "You punched me in the head when you found out I liked her! And _now_ you're mad?"

"I punched you in the head when I thought you… you know…slept with—I don't want to talk about this! She's my sister!"

"Otto, what the hell? You hated me because I liked her. Now you hate me because I dumped her?"

"So you admit it!"

"I still like Reggie and I didn't dump her! I just… let her be with the person she likes," he finished quietly.

"What do you mean? She likes you, you stupid idiot!"

"She likes Lars."

Otto nearly choked. "Lars? She does _not_!"

"Yes she does."

"Who told you that?"

Twister was quiet.

"Did _she_ tell you that?"

"No, not really. Lars did."

"Jesus, Twist! You believe what Lars tells you? He told you once your parents were going to sell you and you believe him when he says Reggie likes him?"

Twister blinked.

"Last time I checked your older brother was full of shit and you know it!" Otto threw down his board. He instantly regretted it as sand clung to the newly waxed surface. He'd have to start over again, but at least now his hands were free and he could turn his full attention to Twister. "Look, if Reggie didn't like you, she never would've kept me from kicking your ass and she sure as hell wouldn't have stayed up all night crying when you ran out into that storm."

"She did?" Twister asked.

"Of course she did! She would've been out looking for you, too, if it hadn't been for Raymundo. We all would have."

Twister looked over at Otto because there was something in his words. Suddenly what Otto was saying about Reggie hit him with a certain clarity. There was truth there. But there was also something else. Reggie wasn't the only one who'd been worried about him. Otto had, too.

"I'm sorry I ran out like that," Twister said. "It pretty was stupid. I have the bruises to prove it."

"Stupid? Sometimes I think you're the biggest moron I ever met."

"Thanks," Twister muttered.

"I mean, suppose something happened to my best bro?"

"You could always have Sammy take my place."

"No dice, man. The Squid doesn't measure up. He's good for being Sammy and he doesn't look bad wearing your hat, but he's no Twist."

And just like that Twister understood. Somehow he and Otto were cool again. Maybe Otto had even apologized in his own way.

"But you realize you owe my sister," Otto said, gravely. "Dude, I can't believe you'd think she'd want to hang out with _Lars_. If you hurt her ever again, I'm gonna have to pound your ass."

"The last thing I want to do is hurt Reggie." Twister was quiet a moment. He realized he'd made a huge mistake breaking up with her. "I want to make it up to her, if she'll let me." He could tell that Otto was still uncomfortable with the idea of him "making it up" to Reggie, but to Otto's credit he didn't say anything. "Besides," Twister began. "I'm like five inches taller than you. You couldn't kick my ass if you tried."

"_Hello_, Rodriguez, who do you think stomped you in the hallway last week?"

"I let you hit me."

"Whatever."

"Otto-man, you're like a midget. You come up to my knee."

"As if! I make you my bro again and this is how you repay me?"

Twister shrugged and the two of them turned their attention back to their boards.

***

She wanted the pineapple chunk super sundae in the worst way possible. It was all Tito's fault, though Sam was certainly an accessory to the crime. Tito had come back to the hotel with one sundae for himself and another for Sam. Sammy had been kind enough to let her have a bite, and she'd nearly ended up eating the whole thing. 

Since then she'd had one sundae per day and yesterday… well, yesterday she'd had two. Oh, it wasn't good. She figured she was probably eating them because she was upset. But that was only partly true. She was eating them because they were damn good.

Today no sign of the Squid or Tito—absolutely no one to send on a sundae run. She'd been forced to go herself, right to the home of the pineapple chunk super sundae: Maui's own Shore Shack, the Surfside Café.

Reggie sank down in the booth. It was a bad idea coming here. She peeped around the corner of the menu that she held up to cover her face. No sign of Lola, which was just the way she wanted it. She felt badly about the way she'd acted during dinner last week, though she still couldn't quite come to grips with the fact that Lola was dating Raymundo. Sure, Lola was really cool and she had to admit that she was great to talk to, but this thing with her Dad just made the whole situation awkward. Hopefully, Reggie could get her sundae quickly and get out of here before Lola showed up.

Reggie stared hard at the menu for a few more minutes and decided that she was being ridiculous. She snapped the menu shut and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw none other than Lola sitting in the booth across from her.

"_Aloha_, Reggie Rocket."

"Uh…hi, Lola."

"I almost didn't see you behind that menu."

"Well, yeah," Reggie laughed nervously.

"So, listen, how's your friend doing? He should be back on his feet by now."

"Twister?" Reggie swallowed hard. "Well, he's on his feet again if that's what you mean. But other than that I really don't know."

Lola frowned. "I thought you guys were friends. I thought you liked him and he liked you. I thought there was going to be a _thing_." She winked.

"Well, there was a thing but then- " Reggie stopped abruptly. "Look, I feel really weird talking about this, especially when Otto and I were so…" She threw her hands up, exasperated. "We were rude," Reggie said finally. "I'm sorry for the way we acted. I guess we're just not used to Raymundo seeing someone. I… I gotta go." She was totally embarrassed. She stood up in the booth.

"Wait, Reggie," Lola put a hand on her arm. "Don't go, at least not without your sundae. Just stay a minute and hear me out."

Reggie caught the seriousness in Lola's gaze and sat back down.

"I never meant to intrude or get between you and your Dad."

"I know." Reggie nodded.

"I just… really like all of you and I'd love to know you better. But if it's too much, you tell me okay?" Reggie started to answer but Lola motioned for her to be silent. "You don't have to say anything now unless you want to. I consider you my friend, Reggie, and the last thing I want to do is hurt a friend's feelings."

That may have been the nicest thing anyone had said to Reggie all week. Some of the awkwardness that she'd been feeling deserted her.

"Thanks, Lola. I can use a friend right now."

"I think so, too. My staff tells me you've been eating pineapple chunk super sundaes in record numbers."

"Not me. Tito," Reggie said, trying to shift the blame.

Lola raised an eyebrow. "So that sundae you just ordered is for Tito?"

"Well, no."

"This has boy trouble written all over it."

Reggie took a deep breath and explained everything to Lola, from the kiss with Lars, to Twister's flight to the recent break-up.

"Ouch," Lola said. "Twister seems like such a nice kid. I didn't think he'd be the one to break your heart."

"Yeah, well he did. He thinks I like his older brother."

"Do you?"

"You know, for a little while I wasn't sure. Lars was acting weird, being really nice to me. But then when he lied to Twister just to hurt his feelings, it was like I knew. How could he do that to his own brother? That's totally lame. And I realized that Lars isn't the person I'm interested in."

"You said this to Twister?"

"I tried but he wouldn't even listen."

"Maybe he just needs some time to cool off."

Reggie shrugged. "I'm not even sure I want to talk to him anyway. I mean, he broke up with me. At first I was really sad but now I feel like I want to punch him."

Lola smiled. "Well, you might at least wait until some of his bruises heal."

"I guess," Reggie said. "So, Lola, any sage Hawaiian advice for me on this one?"

"I'm afraid not. All I can say is that these things have a way of working themselves out." She caught the look on Reggie's face. "Non-violently," she added.

"_Men_," Reggie muttered, rolling her eyes.

***

Next up: Rocco Rides Again!

And of course we haven't seen the last of Lars…


	10. Rocco Rides Again!

****

Chapter 10: Rocco Rides Again

And speaking of men, the match-ups for the men's senior semifinals were posted on the board outside of the officials' stand on the beach. 

"This is no good, Otto," Sam said. "You're up against Lars. There's no way he won't recognize you."

"You let me worry about the disguise, Squid," Otto said. "You just do what you do best. Whaddya got?" Otto plunked down next to Sammy on the beach.

"Watch it," the Squid warned. "You get sand in the keyboard and it's all over." Sam hunched over his laptop, his fingers clacking on the keys. "Southwest winds at 20-30 knots, 15-20 foot waves with an 20-22 foot west swell."

A wide grin spread across Otto's face. He squinted at the roaring ocean with a hand over his eyes to block the sun. "Sammy, my man, I think we just might see it."

"See what?"

"The _hemolele kai_. Like Tito said, the perfect wave."

"Perfect wave? Otto, I can't even believe they're holding the competition today. That's the kind of surf that eats boards, not to mention the people on them! If you ask me, it's time to crunch the biscuit."

"Well, that's why nobody's asking you, Kansas. What's the interval?"

"About 8 seconds." 

Otto let out a low whistle. Sam caught the glint in his friend's eye and quite frankly it scared him. When Otto made up his mind to do something there was no stopping him, regardless of the danger involved.

"This is a bad idea, Otto. Even if you did win without anyone knowing who you are, your dad is in the second heat. You could end up surfing against Raymundo in the final!"

"It won't happen, Sam. Relax."

"I can't relax. I'm the only one around here with any sense!"

"Otto-man, are you stressing the Squid?" Twister called as he approached his friends.

"Since when does anybody stress the Squid?" Otto answered. "He's stressing himself."

Twister joined them where they sat on the beach. A crowd was beginning to form to watch the competition. The first heat of the afternoon, Otto's heat, was little over half an hour away. 

"You look better, bro," Otto said, taking a look at Twister. The shiner around his left eye had faded a bit and the cut on his forehead was nearly healed. Even the scrape on his arm was a lot less noticeable.

"Thanks," Twister said. "I feel better, too."

"I don't suppose," Sam began, "having been through a tropical storm, you'd like to talk some sense into Otto?"

"Not a chance," Twister refused. "You gotta see this thing through an artist's eye, Sam." He pulled his camera out of his backpack and focused on the waves in front of them. "Another fine Rodriguez production starring Otto Rocket, er... Rocco Tocket."

"Sure," Sam sighed. "It's all fun and games until someone chews beef."

"Well, that someone isn't gonna be me," Otto said, getting to his feet. "I better go get ready. You all are about to witness history. I'll be the youngest surfer ever in the senior finals at the Kona Kai and, of course, the youngest to win the title."

"Just be careful, Otto," Sam pleaded.  
"Okay, _Paula_, now will you quit being so lame?"

Sammy growled as Otto took off in the direction of the competitor's stand. He turned back to his computer to further analyze the weather conditions for this afternoon. After a minute or so he could feel Twister staring at him. He knew that his friend was trying not to ask the question he'd asked eight times already today. Sam also knew that it was only a matter of time before Twister broke down and asked it yet again.

"Have you—?"

"—No," Sam cut him off. "I haven't seen her."

"Do you think she—?"

"—I don't know, Twister. I can't read her mind," Sam answered.

"It's like she's avoiding me." 

"Well, you did break up with her."

Twister slapped a hand against his forehead. "Don't remind me," he groaned. "You think she's really upset?"

Sam looked thoughtful. "Hmmm, I don't think we have to worry about her running out into some hurricane if that's what you're afraid of. But there's the distinct possibility that she could be pissed."

Twister slumped forward and put his face in his hands. "I'm never gonna see her again," he muttered gloomily. 

"That's impossible," Sam said. "Not only do you live practically next door to her, but she'll probably be here in the next few minutes. Both her dad and her brother are about to compete. She wouldn't miss it."

"You're right." Twister looked up with a gleam of hope in his eye. "She can't miss it. She'll have to be here. She'll have to see me!"

"Sure, she'll have to see you. But she doesn't have to listen to you," Sam replied, casually.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've seen Otto cover his ears when he doesn't want to hear something. Who's to say Reggie won't do the same? It might run in the family."

"What are you trying to say, Squid?"

"Just that if she doesn't want to hear you, she doesn't have to." Sam shrugged. "That, and the fact that Otto and Reggie are pretty similar in some respects."

Twister frowned in thought. _Otto and Reggie, similar? Well, sure, they were brother and sister. They were both awesome athletes…both super cool…fun to hang out with…_

"I mean," Sam began, "did you ever think that maybe the reason why you like Reggie so much is because she's like Otto? He's your best bro and she's like the girl version of him, so—"

"—What… are… you… saying?" Twister ground out. "That I'm secretly in love with… Otto?" He looked horrified.

Sam nodded gravely, but he couldn't hold the expression for more than a few seconds. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. Twister was so gullible sometimes. He knew it was mean to tease him this way, but it was payback for the constant questions about Reggie.

"I'm sorry, Twist," he said, chuckling. "Of course it's not true. Reggie isn't just some girl version of Otto."

"You are so dead!" Twister snatched Sam by the collar.

"Let's not be hasty!" Sam cried. "You wouldn't hit a squid with glasses, would you?" 

Twister shook Sam once, but all of a sudden his hands went slack on his friend's shirt. Sam noticed that Twister was staring over his shoulder completely distracted. He took advantage of the opportunity to remove Twister's hands from his collar and edge away from him. There was absolutely no resistance from Twister whatsoever, he simply stared on spellbound. Curiosity got the better of Sam, so he turned to look in the direction of Twister's gaze. 

Reggie was walking down the beach toward them. This in and of itself was not unusual. They knew she would turn up sooner or later. The unusual part, or maybe just different, was that she was wearing a dress. They hardly ever saw her in anything other than cargo pants and t-shirts. It was a lightweight sundress that tied around her neck. Sam had seen plenty of them on the island. They were fairly common, but somehow the dress made all the difference. She didn't look like the Reggie he was used to. She looked taller, lean and really… pretty. He watched as she brushed some hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She was holding her sunglasses in one hand and she waved to him with the other. 

Sam realized he was staring. He felt his ears grow warm and knew that meant he was blushing. He tore his eyes away and turned to glance at Twister. His friend's mouth was hanging open. Sam put a hand beneath Twister's chin and shut his mouth. 

Reggie reached them and sat down next Sam so that he separated her from Twister. 

"Hey," she said, turning her eyes to the ocean. If she couldn't see Twister than she wouldn't have to think about him.

"H-h-hi," Sam managed. "N-n-nice dress."

Twister was speechless.

"Sam, it's me, Reggie." She gave him a wry smile. "We've met before."

"Oh, right," Sam said. He watched as she quickly scooped up her hair and tied it into a loose knot at the nape of her neck. Then she put her sunglasses on top of her head. _That was better, Sam thought. That was Reggie._

"Lola took me shopping," Reggie explained.

"Huh?" asked Sam.

"The dress. Lola took me shopping."

"Oh."

"So what's the surf like? It looks rough."

"It is," Sam answered, and he rattled off the information that he'd given to Otto earlier. "I tried to tell him it was too dangerous."

"Come on, Sammy. You know that made him want to go out there even more. Danger is Otto's middle name."

The two of them heard a squeak.

"Did you say something, Sam?"

"No. You, Reg?"

"No."

A second squeak.

Sam glanced sideways at Twister. The noise was coming from him. He was trying to say something.

"Sand crab?" Reggie suggested.

"They don't squeak," Sam said. _But then again neither do teenage boys, usually, he thought._

"Aloha, little cuzzes!" Tito called, joining them. "We've got a couple of great matches today. Hey, Twister, it looks like your brother is going to face that mystery surfer everybody's talking about."

"Yeah," Twister croaked.

"You're not getting sick are you, cuz?" Tito looked concerned.

Twister shook his head no. Having finally found his voice he wanted to save it for whatever it was he was going to say to Reggie. He'd been thinking about it non-stop since yesterday but it had mysteriously leaked out of his head the moment he saw her in that dress. Stupid! How could he have broken up with her? How could he have ever thought that she'd like Lars? She was way too cool for Lars.

"Where's Raymundo?" Reggie asked.

"He's over at the competitor's stand. I think he's trying to sniff out the identity of the masked surfer," Tito replied. 

Sam and Twister suddenly looked pained. If Ray found out, Otto was in huge trouble. Reggie was even a bit nervous on her brother's behalf. She looked over to the competitor's stand and saw Raymundo chatting with Adam Wesley, who he'd be surfing against in the second heat. Lars was at the front of the stand with his board, his match due to start any minute. Otto was creeping around the side of the booth with that stupid orange rag tied over his head. He was obviously trying to stay out of Ray's line of vision.

A message from the officials' stand interrupted Reggie's thoughts. The start of the competition was announced and the surfers for the first heat were called to attention. Otto raced down to the shoreline and stood next to Lars. The horn blew and they both ran into the surf, mounted their boards and paddled out into the waves. 

"The ocean is angry today," Tito murmured.

It was true, Reggie thought. Twice Lars and Otto had to slip under their boards to keep from getting totally squacked by monster swells as they paddled into position. 

"I don't like this," Sammy said quietly.

"It's okay, Sam," Tito said. "Say what you will about Lars Rodriguez, but he's pretty tough in the water. I think he gets it from his little brother."

Twister managed a weak smile from behind his camera.

"What about Ot—this um… Rocco guy?" asked Sam. "I just don't want to see anybody get hurt."

"Rocco Tocket seems like he can hold his own." Tito looked thoughtful a moment. "In fact, he reminds me a little of—"

"—What did I miss?" said Lola breathlessly. She skidded to a stop in the sand next to the gang. 

"Nothing yet," Sam told her. "The first heat just started."

"I got out of the café as soon as I could." 

Everyone fell silent as Lars dropped in on his first wave. The ocean reared up and Lars shot over the surface as the water began to curl over him. He cut back several times, changing direction, making it look all too easy. He sped along the tube and the judges were remarking that this was a beautiful run, until, that is, the wave began to break. 

"Come on, brudda," Tito muttered. "Get out of there."

But it was too late, in a split-second the wave collapsed completely obscuring Lars from view. His board shot up into the air and then slammed back into the surf.

"Whoa," Sam said.

Twister was on his feet scanning the ocean for his brother. He was still angry with him, but he certainly didn't want anything really bad to happen to him. After a few moments Lars surfaced. The crowd cheered, relieved. Lars swam over to his board and retrieved it.

"I'm glad he's okay," Lola said.

"Told you he was tough," Tito added.

It was time for Rocco Tocket to make his move. Otto had watched Lars' run carefully. He knew where Lars had gone wrong and he wouldn't make the same mistake. He looked at the next approaching swell and counted, feeling the interval. Timing told him when it would crest and when it would break. He felt the undertow draw him into the path of the approaching wave. He fought the current a moment longer until the timing was right and then lay down on his board and paddled for all he was worth.

Reggie gasped. This one was a monster. Personally she would have left it alone. If there was one thing she'd noticed about the surf today, it was that it was particularly unpredictable. Nothing broke when she thought it would and the wind was playing havoc with the swell. It whipped across the beach every now and then, too, kicking strands of hair into her eyes. Patiently she brushed the hair behind her ears and watched Otto drop in on one of the biggest waves she'd ever seen.

"Holy hell," Twister murmured.

"Oh God," Sam moaned. "I think I'm allergic to this." He put his hands over his eyes, but couldn't help peeking through the huge crack between his fingers.

"You know," Lola began softly, as Otto slipped into the curl, "Reggie, that guy surfs just like your—"

"—It's Otto," Reggie cried. "It's Otto! It's Otto! The mystery surfer is Otto!" She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't hold it in any longer. The tension of what promised to be the most amazing run she'd ever seen had gotten to her. She jumped to her feet.

"Well, I'll be…." Tito whistled.

Otto worked the critical section crouched low on his board, his hand trailing along the surface of the wave as the spray of water arced up over him. The crowd was going crazy. Even some of the judges were on their feet. 

And then it happened. 

"He should bail," Lola said. "That's gonna fold." She was totally right, Reggie realized. But Otto was too busy hot-dogging. 

Reggie seemed to feel it even before her eyes could take it all in. The wave yawned huge for a moment, like a giant open maw, and then it crumbled. Otto was pitched headlong into the ocean and swallowed up. There was a loud noise as his board cracked and half of it was spit into the air. As incredible as his run had been, his wipeout was just as colossal. 

There was a tense moment while they waited for him to surface and when he didn't the tension turned into cold fear. A hush fell over the crowd. Twister stood paralyzed with his camera at his side. Sam forgot to breathe. It was Reggie who moved first, running down to the shoreline. 

Still Otto hadn't surfaced. 

Twister swallowed hard. It was taking too long. He'd seen Otto get rocked before. It was rare, but it had never taken him this long to surface. Something was wrong. A lifeguard on a Jet Ski sped out into the ocean, headed for the spot where they'd last seen Otto. Twister took off running after Reggie. 

Reggie ran into the water. She was about to dive when a pair of arms grabbed her and hauled her up onto the beach.

"What are you doing, Rocket Girl?" Ray asked. He'd come running out from the competitor's stand the minute he saw her. "Let the medics do their job. They'll find him."

"I can't, Dad. It's Otto!" she shouted.

"Calm down," he said. "What's Otto?"

"The mystery surfer! Come on, Dad! Think! _Rocco Tocket_! You saw his moves!"

Slowly, the realization dawned. She watched it play across her father's face.

"What the hell?" Ray yelled.

At that moment Twister came sliding to a halt on the loosely packed sand behind Reggie. Sam, Tito and Lola weren't far behind.

"Is this true, Maurice?!"

Twister could barely answer. He'd never heard Raymundo call him by his real name. "Yes…sir," he added at the last minute. Ray was fuming.

"You mean to tell me that your brother is out there surfing in the senior competition in a mask?!"

Reggie nodded.

"Your brother is out there—" Ray stopped abruptly as the impact of his own words sunk in. He ran down to the water and dove in. 

Still no sign of Otto. Reggie clapped a hand over her eyes. She felt a lump rising in her throat and was trying hard not to cry. 

A strong arm curled around her shoulders. Reggie didn't look up. She knew it was Twister and she turned into him so that he held her gently against his chest. 

She didn't want to cry. But then Twister did something. He stroked her hair softly and she couldn't help it. She felt tears well up in her eyes.

Reggie wrapped her arms tight around him.

***

"Look, Reg!" Twister said.

Reggie turned out of his arms and quickly dashed the tears from her eyes. She peered out over the ocean and saw that someone had surfaced. The Jet Ski was heading straight toward him.

"Is that… Lars?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah, but look. He's got his arm around something." Twister took a few steps down the beach to get a better view. "It's Otto! I think he's got Otto!"

Sammy, just a few feet away, whooped in delight. Everyone watched as the lifeguard on the Jet Ski helped Lars drag Otto onto the sled tied behind the vehicle. From what they could see it looked like Otto was unconscious. They would know for sure in a matter of moments as the Jet Ski sped toward the shore.

Several medics came running from the medical tent to meet the Jet Ski when it hit the beach. They were carrying a stretcher and carefully loaded Otto onto it. Then they rushed him over the sand to the tent. 

The crowd closed in, following the medical personnel to find out the extent of the mystery surfer's injuries. Reggie and Sam were cut off from the rest of the gang as they tried to make their way to the medical tent. But all of a sudden Twister burst through the wall of people. Lars was right behind him, wrapped in a blanket and bleeding from the nose. Fortunately, a nosebleed wasn't enough to slow him down.

"Outta my way, dorks!" Lars cried at the crowd of people milling about. He and Twister stood shoulder to shoulder and began to force a path through the throng to the med tent. Sam grabbed Reggie's arm and they followed hard on the heels of the Rodriguez brothers, who weren't above bashing a few heads to make it through the crowd.

It was slow going but they finally reached the tent only to be stopped by two medics blocking the entrance.

"Let me in!" Reggie yelled. "That's my brother!"

"And I'm bleeding!" Lars shouted. 

"Me too!" Twister said, though it was obvious he wasn't.

"I got nuthin'," Sam muttered, unable to think of a valid excuse that would get him in to see Otto. 

"It's okay, they're family," said a voice from inside the tent. The medics stepped aside and let them pass. Ray was already there. He stood watching as two men performed CPR on Otto. Reggie ran over to her father and grabbed his hand. He gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze but she noted how pale he looked.

There was another scuffle at the entrance to the tent and Tito and Lola managed to push their way inside. Reggie's eyes were quickly drawn back to Otto, though. She noticed blood in his hair, but even more frightening than that was the fact that his face was completely gray.

The medics continued to administer CPR. Reggie recognized the sequence of chest compressions and breaths from her lifeguard training class with Lieutenant Tice two summers ago. Otto had to pull through. They were doing everything they could.

Sam rocked back and forth on his feet in nervous anxiety. Reggie could tell that he was two seconds away from biting his nails. Twister on the other hand stood stock-still. His eyes were fixed on his best bro, who lay motionless beneath the medics. Even Lars was respectfully quiet.

Tito was the first person to speak to Ray.

"He'll make it, brudda. It's that hard head of his. He got it from his old man."

Ray started to answer, but stopped and swallowed hard. Finally he said, "You're damn right he'll make it, Tito. And when he wakes up, I'm gonna kill him."

Almost instantly, as if on cue, Otto began choking up water. One of the medics quickly turned him over onto his side where he continued to cough and heave, forcing the water out of his lungs. 

"He's breathing," Reggie sighed in relief.

The gang pressed forward around the gurney where they'd been treating Otto. Ray pushed his way between the medics to get a good look at his son.

"Otto, can you hear me?" Ray asked.

Otto's eyes opened briefly and he drew in a couple of jerky breaths.

"Otto, do you know who I am?" Ray was anxious.

His son gave him a weak smile before he managed to say, "Yeah. You're the guy who's gonna kill me." 

***


	11. Of Moms and Men

****

Chapter 11: Of Moms and Men

"You mean to tell me I'm the only one who didn't know that Otto was surfing in disguise?" Ray asked. His gaze swept the hospital waiting room and there seemed to be no one brave enough to meet it head-on. Twister looked down at his hands, while Sam feigned the study of a plastic, potted plant. Reggie chewed her lip nervously.

"I only found out just before you did, brudda." Tito shrugged. "But I guess we really should have known."

"I wanted to tell you, Raymundo, but…" Reggie's voice trailed off. "I don't know. I kept thinking that you knew. I mean, it was pretty obvious to me. But I guess you were a little preoccupied."

"Preoccupied?" Ray sounded incredulous.

"Yes, _preoccupied_," Reggie said firmly. "All the signs were there, you just had other things to think about." She rolled her head to the right indicating the place where Lola sat quietly next to a dozing Lars. Ray started to answer, but as Reggie's words sank in, a measure of hurt crept into his eyes. 

At that moment, a doctor walked purposefully into the waiting area.

"Excuse me, Mr. Rocket?" 

"Yes." Ray got to his feet.

"I'm Dr. Akeo. You can see your son now, if you'd like."

Ray began to follow the doctor down the corridor when he noticed that the rest of the gang was trailing him.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Akeo said. "But only family is allowed in at this time." 

There was a murmur of disappointment.

"Can you at least tell us if Otto is okay?" Twister asked.

"He's fine," the doctor replied. "He hit his head on a rock when he wiped out, so he's got a concussion and we had to give him a few stitches for the laceration in his scalp. We've given him medication for the pain, and he's resting comfortably, but it's important that we keep him awake and observe him closely over the next few hours to make sure there are no complications. Now, Mr. Rocket, if you'll please follow me."

"I'm coming, too," Reggie spoke up. "I'm his sister."

Dr. Akeo nodded and led them along the hall. They came at last to a small, private room and just before entering the doctor said, "I should warn you that between the concussion and the meds, your son might be a little…loopy."

"Loopy?" Ray repeated. "Is that a medical term?"

The doctor simply grimaced and opened the door to let them in. Otto was sitting propped up in bed, grinning as a nurse adjusted the pillows behind him.

"Thanks," he smiled up at her. "Will you marry me?"

"Otto!" Ray barked.

"It's okay," the nurse smiled. "The medication does that sometimes." She finished with the patient and left the room.

"I'll be back to check on him in a little while," Dr. Akeo said and closed the door.

Otto's eyes where at half-mast, but he had no trouble focusing them on his father and sister. When he saw the look on Ray's face he sobered immediately. Even through the faint euphoria of the pain medication he knew when he was in trouble.

Ray simply stared at his son for a few moments. Otto had given him quite the scare earlier today. He'd been terrified when he'd realized how close his son had come to actually drowning. Then there was the fact that Otto had lied and entered the senior competition in disguise. He'd completely ignored the rules, deliberately broken them in fact, without the slightest thought to his own personal safety. This kid had a monster pair of _cajones_. He'd raised both Otto and Reggie to take risks, but in responsible ways. Otto, it seemed, was still learning the difference between a responsible risk and one that was completely irresponsible!

Ray sighed. Was this what Otto's teenage years held in store for him? It was one of those rare moments when he truly felt… old. 

Otto lowered his eyes, almost as if he could sense what his father was thinking. Finally he said, "I'm sorry, Dad."

"Well, that's a start," Ray replied.

"It was completely out of line. I was wrong. I guess I just didn't think."

"That's what worries me, Otto. The part about you not thinking." Ray pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down. "I'm going to try not to lecture. You know you broke the rules and you know those rules were put in place to protect you."

Otto nodded.

"Well, at least your conscience is working. Score one for good parenting. But after that I'm at a loss. I don't know how to make you understand how important it is that you consider your actions and their consequences before you act. You're so talented, Otto. You're special, and that's all the more reason why I want you thinking all the time. With your talent comes responsibility for yourself and for others."

"I understand, Dad."

"Do you?"

Otto nodded again.

"Good, 'cause I want to be able to trust you. I want to trust you like I trust your sister. She wouldn't sneak around behind my back like that."

Reggie coughed in silent acknowledgment of her own guilt. 

Ray mistook the action.

"Okay, okay," he said. "I'm done now. No official punishment. I think that bald spot is punishment enough."

"What?" Otto asked, touching a hand to his head. The doctors had had to shave a small patch of his hair in the front near his hairline to properly set his stitches. "No way!" 

"Way," Reggie snickered, barely stifling a smile. 

"My locks!" Otto said.

"You're still pretty, Otto." Reggie smirked. "Or should I say, Rocco."

"Please don't," Otto groaned. He sneaked a glance at Ray to see how his father would react to what was sure to be a sore subject for a while despite the fact that a parental verdict had already been passed down.

Ray couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous name. 

"What am I going to do with you, Otto Rocket?"

Otto shook his head.

"I don't know, Raymundo. I am a little surprised that you weren't on to me earlier, though. I thought for sure Reggie would blab."

"Whatever." Reggie rolled her eyes.

"Ah, yes," Ray began. "There is the matter of your sister's silence in all this."

"Okay, there _is_ my silence," Reggie admitted. "But with all due respect, Dad, there's also your… not knowing." 

Ray was quiet. He looked at his stubborn daughter. They were back to the subject they'd broached just before going to Otto's room. 

Otto looked from Ray to Reggie and back to Ray again. It was a standoff. He nearly expected a bale of tumbleweed to… well, tumble across the floor between the two of them.

"You first, Rocket Girl," Ray said calmly.

"I just mean," Reggie hesitated, "that with Lola around, you've been thinking about other things… maybe before us." It had been really hard for her to say that. For some reason she felt embarrassed or maybe even a little ashamed of feeling that way. But she'd had to say it.

It stung Ray. And the reason why it stung so much was that deep down he knew it was true. He let out a deep breath.

"I think that's fair to say. Hurts to hear it, hurts more to admit it, but I guess I have been thinking about Lola a lot."

"What's going on with you two?" Reggie asked. She glanced at Otto who looked decidedly uncomfortable with this subject, but she knew that he wanted answers, too.

It was Ray's turn to be embarrassed.

"Well," he said slowly. "I like Lola a lot."

"Is this serious?" Reggie pressed.

"I… don't know. What do you mean by serious?"

Reggie gave him a bold look.

"You took us out to dinner with her, Dad. You wanted us to know her better. So when I say serious I mean _serious_. Like marriage."

There was a lengthy silence. Otto fidgeted with the bedcovers. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"For God's sake, Raymundo! Are you gonna marry her?" he asked.

"Otto, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. But don't freak out! We haven't even known each other that long. I do know that I want to spend more time with her and I'd like her to come visit us in Ocean Shores. Are you two okay with that?"

Both Otto and Reggie looked away from him. After a moment, Otto nodded slowly. It was Reggie who exploded.

"I'm not okay with it!" she shouted. "I'm _so_ not okay with it!"

"What's going on, Reg?" Ray studied his daughter. "I thought you and Lola got along."

"We do, and it's not really Lola I'm objecting to. I just can't believe we're going to have this whole conversation without once mentioning her!"

"We _are_ talking about her," Ray said, confused.

"Not Lola! For crying out loud, not Lola! It's hard enough for us to talk about Lola, but it's even harder to talk about _her_. About Mom!"

"Reggie…" Ray exhaled heavily.

"What!" she said her voice full of defiance, "We never talk about her. I mean, _really_ talk about her. It's like she didn't exist. But I know she did! Because I loved her!"

"Oh God," Ray murmured. He looked to Otto trying to gauge his son's feelings. Otto's eyes were downcast. 

"Say something, Dad," Reggie said softly.

"I loved your mother, Reg. _I_ loved her, too. And if I don't talk about her… it's because it hurts. That's no excuse I know. I just never realized that you wanted me to talk about her… that you needed me to."

"I can't remember…" Otto whispered, his voice trailing off.

"Otto?" Reggie prompted.

"I can't remember what she looked like."

"You were only four when she died," Ray said gently.

"I know, but I should remember," Otto insisted.

Reggie shook her head.

"Sometimes I forget, too. And they're no pictures, none of her things."

"I have them." Ray spoke just above a whisper. "They're in storage." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "The last time I saw her, she was going to her mother's. Woman hates me, you know."

Reggie bit her lip.

"I guess you don't know," Ray said. "How would you? You've never met your grandmother."

"Why did she- does she hate you?" Otto asked.

"Good question, kid. I mean, there were the obvious reasons: she thought I was a surf bum, that I'd never amount to anything, that I wasn't good enough for her only daughter. But I always felt like there was some other reason, too. Never figured it out, though." Ray paused. "God, I haven't seen her since before your mother and I were married. She didn't come to the wedding. Well, there wasn't really a wedding."

Otto's eyes grew large.

"Oh, we were married," Ray said. "We just kinda eloped."

"You ran off?" Reggie said, shocked.

"Yup. It was a nice little piece of deception, too, I might add. Tito was there. By the time your grandmother found out we were married it was too late. She stopped speaking to your mom, though."

"You never told us," Reggie whispered.

"I'm sorry. I… try not to… but this is where I go wrong, huh?" Ray stood and stretched. He began to pace the room. "When you were born, Reg, they started talking again. Your mom wanted her to see her grandchild, but she wouldn't visit us and I was stubborn. I didn't want Lauren to take you to see her. I said she couldn't, that if her mother wanted to see her grandkid she'd have to see us all together as a family. The next year Otto came along and still she didn't visit. It went on for years. That last night…" his voice broke, "your mother was going to see her for the first time since we'd eloped. On the way back, a car jumped the median and hit her head-on."

Another long silence stretched out between them.

"Hey, Dad," Reggie began hesitantly, "Mom was a really awesome surfer, huh?"

A wide smile spread across Ray's features.

"Nobody could rip like your mom. She even gave your old man a run for the money." 

"So she was better than you," Otto said.

"I wouldn't say _better, _but she did teach me a few tricks." 

"Too bad she didn't teach you how to make a decent burger," Otto muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Ray said. "You're lookin' at the owner of the Shore Shack!"

"Yeah, the _owner_, but Tito is definitely the _cook_." Otto grinned.

Reggie suddenly broke out into a fit of giggles and her laughter was contagious. The three of them laughed for a good five minutes. _It was a great relief to have her there again_, Reggie thought. She felt closer to her mother just by talking about her and, oddly enough, the prospect of Lola seemed less threatening. 

They had created a place for Mom again in their family, a special space just for her memory. Lola couldn't touch that space, but that didn't mean that they'd run out of room. That was the thing about families, and about the Rockets in particular: they were exceedingly flexible and notably obliging; there was always room for one more.

"Does Lola surf, Raymundo?" asked Otto.

"She does, Rocket Boy. Even showed me some of her trophies."

"I bet she could give you a run for your money." Reggie smiled.

Ray realized in that instant that his kids had given him their blessing.

***

It was a nice, warm night so the gang decided to walk home from the hospital to the hotel. Twister and Sam walked ahead of the rest of the group talking quietly.

"I'm glad we finally got to see Otto," Sam said. "Even though he kept asking me to marry him."

"Otto asked you to marry him?" Twister asked.

"Yeah. Tito, too. I guess it was his medication. He'll be all right when they release him tomorrow."

"He didn't ask _me_ to marry him and I'm his best bro." Twister was hurt.

"Uh, Twist, I didn't think Otto was the Rocket you were interested in."

"He's not. I guess I just feel left out."

Twister glanced over his shoulder to see Reggie walking beside Raymundo. She didn't seem to notice him. He sighed and turned back to Sam.

"You think Otto will get grounded?"

"I don't think so," Sam answered. "That injury's probably punishment enough, not to mention he's probably been kicked out of the competition."

"Yeah," Twister agreed.

"He's lucky, though. I mean, if Lars hadn't gotten to him, who knows what might've happened."

Twister frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure," Twister said. "It's just… Lars helping Otto. It's so weird. Those two hate each other."

"Well, they do have something in common."

"What?"

"You," Sam pointed out.

__

"Me?"

It was enough to keep Twister speechless all the way back to the hotel.

***

Reggie couldn't sleep. She'd spent almost an hour tossing and turning with the events of the day playing over and over again in her head. She'd tried reading, but that hadn't made her the least bit tired. She'd even paced her room hoping to wear herself out, but it was no use. She was wired. Reluctantly, she gave up on sleeping and gave into the fact that she was wide-awake. 

Well, as long as she was awake, she might as well _do_ something. Reggie quickly pulled on a bathing suit, grabbed a towel and set out for the pool. The halls of the hotel were empty. Most everyone was asleep at this hour. Luckily, the pool area was still open, though there was a sign warning guests to swim at their own risk, as there was no lifeguard on duty after hours. Reggie decided to take that risk. She dropped her towel by the edge of the pool near the deep end and dove in.

The water was cool against her skin and Reggie found it soothing as she made her way to the shallow end with quick, even strokes. When she reached the wall she turned easily, using her feet to kick off from the edge and start another lap. It was nice to do nothing but use her arms and legs, to concentrate on her breathing without having to think about Otto or Twister or Lola or anyone.

After a few more laps Reggie swam back toward the deep end. As she reached the edge of the pool she looked up expecting to find her towel, but it wasn't there. Instead there were two feet planted on the pool deck. Lars was looking down at her with a half grin on his face. He was holding her towel.

"Thought I heard somebody in the pool," he said.

"I decided to go for a swim."

"This late at night?" he asked.

"You're still awake." 

"True," Lars sighed. "So are you coming out or are you gonna prune in there?"

"That depends. Are you gonna give me my towel?"

He shrugged. 

Reggie rolled her eyes and pulled herself up out of the pool. She could feel Lars staring at her, but he did turn over the towel albeit grudgingly. She wrapped it around her shoulders and walked away from the edge of the pool.

"So, I guess I oughta say thank you," she said quietly.

"For the towel? No sweat."

"Not for the towel. For Otto."

Lars snorted. "Rocket Dork's always getting himself into trouble."

"And you're not?"

"_Me? Trouble?_ I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a hero around here."

"Yeah," she said softly. "I guess you are."

Reggie sat down on the side of a beach chair. 

"Oh, hey, Reggie Rocket, don't look at me like that!" 

"Like what?"

"Like… like… I'm some kind of lousy, goody-two-shoes or something."

"But you just said you're a he- "

"- I didn't really mean it okay. In fact, I kinda wanna keep this whole thing on the down-low."

"But there's a whole beach full of people who saw you save my brother."

Lars tossed up his hands and threw himself down beside her on the chair.

"Look," he began seriously, "We're in Hawaii, and what I do in Hawaii stays in Hawaii."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that once we get back to Ocean Shores it never happened."

"You think Pi and Sputz will remember that it never happened?"

"Dunno," he said. "They might need me to jog their memories." He pounded a fist into his palm threateningly.

Reggie laughed.

"I don't see why you're so dead set against anyone knowing. After all, didn't you tell me you're a changed man?"

"I am, but not everyone needs to know that."

"Just me."

"Yeah, you."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because." He shrugged, not quite meeting her gaze. "Because… you're special. I don't just go around saving _anyone's_ brother you know."

"You didn't save Otto because of me."

"Sure I did."

"No, you didn't. You saved him because it was the right thing to do. You're a good person, Lars."

"Can it, Reg."

"No, I mean it. And if you saved Otto for anyone's sake, it was Twister."

"That little runt? I don't think so."

"Okay, have it your way." Reggie shrugged. They sat side by side in silence for a moment, an oddly friendly kind of silence. Suddenly Lars groaned.

"You still like him, don't you?" he ground out.

She nodded.

"Even after he broke up with you?"

"Yeah."

Lars took a deep breath. "Okay. I can't believe I'm doing this, but okay." He stood up and took a step back from the chair. "You just remember this, Reggie Rocket. If that little dweeb brother of mine can't treat you right, I will."

He turned to leave, but Reggie was on her feet and caught him by the arm.

"Lars- " she began but stopped. Reggie leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

It was sweet, it was sisterly, but it still made him dizzy.

"Thank you," she said gently.

Lars sighed and turned away from her. 

"Fuckin' Maui," he muttered, and was gone.

***

"Huh? What?" Sam asked groggily. Someone was shaking him.

"Come on, Squid. On your feet!" Twister whispered urgently. 

"Five more minutes," Sam muttered and rolled over in bed away from the hands that were shaking him.

"Now, Sammy. This is important!"

Sam couldn't have cared less. He was just about to drift back into dreamland when something hard came into contact with his skull. There was a sonorous crack and then an odd humming, almost like the humming of guitar strings.

"Owww." Sam clutched his head. He rolled and slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. The light beside his bed clicked on and he could barely make out the fuzzy image of what looked like Twister looming over him. He groped the bedside table for his glasses and pulled them on. It was Twister all right, and he was holding…

"Is that Tito's ukulele?" Sam asked.

Twister nodded.

"Why did you have to hit me with it?"

"'Cause you sleep like the dead. Now, come on. I need your help."

"Help?" Sam glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. "It's like 1:30 in the morning! What could you need help with?"

"Reggie."

"What?"

"I'm gonna… you know."

"Ewww! T-M-I!" Sam screamed. "Too much information!"

"No, Squid, get your mind out of the gutter! I'm just gonna serenade her and… and see if she'll take me back."

Sam looked at the ukulele clutched in Twister's right hand. "Can you play that thing?" he asked.

"Kinda."

"Well, what do you need my help for?"

"Because you're smart, Sammy. You know how this should work."

"This is between you and Reggie, Twist. You're smart enough to handle it. Believe me."

"But… but… I guess I'm nervous. Come on, will you come with?"

"This is about moral support then?" asked Sam.

"Yeah."

"Oh, okay," Sam relented. Twister had done a hell of a job waking him up and there was no way he was going back to sleep anyway. He dragged himself from bed, pulled on a t-shirt and shorts and followed Twister to the door of their room. 

"Wait a minute," Sam said. "What if this actually works and there's kissing? I don't want to be there if there's kissing."

"You think there'll be kissing?" Hope lit up in Twister's eyes. "Maybe I should brush my teeth."

*** 

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. Blame it on the holidays and all that. Also, I think I'm dragging my feet 'cause I know this story is almost over. Sigh. I took some liberties with the story of Rocket Mom. Klasky Csupo has never really explained what happened to her or the fact that Otto and Reggie have never met their grandparents on either side. I find that a little disturbing, but I'm counting on KC to address that in the next Rocket Power TV movie. Anyway, as always thanks for the reviews!


	12. Sweet Sixteen

Chapter 12: Sweet Sixteen

**Chapter 12: Sweet Sixteen**

Twister peered up at the side of the hotel and counted the rows of balconies that marked each floor.

"Are you sure that's her room?" Sam whispered from his hiding place behind a large palm tree.

"Positive," Twister replied. "She's on the eighth floor.

"That looks pretty high up," Sam muttered.

"Look, Squid, are you helping or not?"

"I'm helping," Sam said reluctantly.

"Good, now hand me the pebbles."

"Pebbles?"

"Yeah, pebbles. I'm supposed to throw them up at her window—you know, to wake her."

"What would I be doing with pebbles, Twister? You just dragged me out of my bed in the middle of the night. It's not like I keep a supply on hand for when you decide to serenade girls."

"Watch the 'tude, dude. I know I woke you, but you're crankier than Tito on an empty stomach."

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Besides," Twister continued, "you said you were gonna be my moral support. Start supporting."

"Fine," Sam grumbled. He stalked out from behind the palm tree and began scouting for pebbles. There were none to be found in the immediate vicinity so he strolled around to the back of the hotel toward the beach. He gathered a few small seashells, figuring that they would work just as well as pebbles.

"Here," he said to Twister when he returned. "These were all I could find on short notice."

"Thanks." Twister took the shells. He hoped that Sam hadn't seen how his hands were shaking. He was hella nervous. Twister glanced up at the hotel again, took a deep breath and launched the shells at Reggie's balcony. Several of them hit the cement underside of the terrace but a few managed to clink against the glass sliding door of her room.

"Phase one complete," Twister whispered.

"You think that'll wake her?" Sam asked.

"It'll wake her, Sammy. And when she comes out to find out what the noise was, I start singing."

"What are you gonna sing?"

"Uh, good question." It was the one part of the plan that Twister hadn't exactly thought through. "Something by Shafika, I guess."

"You can't sing Shafika!" Sam hissed, aghast. "You have to sing something romantic, something from the heart."

"Romantic? Shafika's plenty romantic."

"Shafika's a pop star! She doesn't know love!"

"Can it, Squid. You're making me nervous. I'll think of something." Twister looked back up at the hotel. Reggie's room was still dark. "Do you think she heard the seashells?"

"I don't know," Sam said. He squinted up at Reggie's room. "Maybe you should try again."

"What are you two doing?" asked an all too familiar voice.

Twister and Sam jumped at the sound. They turned to see Reggie standing behind them wrapped in a towel.

"What are _we_ doing?" Sam asked in a panic. "What are _you _doing?"

"Well," Reggie began calmly. "I couldn't really sleep, so I came down for a swim."

"You're supposed to be up there!" Sam pointed in the direction of her room.

"Why should I be up there?" Reggie asked.

"Because that's where girls usually are when you try to serenade them!" Sam declared.

Reggie was puzzled. For the first time she let her eyes drift over to Twister who, she noticed, was clutching a ukulele. Suddenly, without any warning at all, he dropped to one knee and strummed a chord.

"_O Reggie_," Twister sang loudly.

"Oh no," Reggie said, as the realization dawned on her. This had the potential to be utterly embarrassing.

"_Forgive meeeeee_….," Twister continued to sing, making up the words as he went along. "_I'm unhappyyyyy… since you left meeeeee…_"

"Uh, well," Sam said, looking uncomfortable. "That's my cue." He was about to take off running when Reggie grabbed his sleeve.

"Sammy, no," she whispered desperately. "Don't leave."

"Sorry, Reg, but this is between you two. I'm out." Sam shook loose of her grip and headed for the hotel as quickly as he could.

"_O Regieeee… babyyyyy… I'm so sorryyy…you complete meeee_—" Twister was cut off as Reggie abruptly placed a hand over his mouth.

"Are you crazyyyy?" she whispered furiously. "It's the middle of the night. People are sleeping!" Reggie looked around hoping that no one had seen or heard any of this. Fortunately, they seemed to be the only two people in the area.

Twister tried to say something, but the sound was muffled beneath her fingers.

"You probably want me to move my hand, right?"

Twister nodded.

"I guess this is your way of trying to apologize?"

He nodded again.

Reggie sighed. "All right, I'll move my hand and you can apologize all you want, but for crying out loud, Twister, say it don't sing it!"

Reggie straightened and let go of him and Twister got to his feet.

"Reggie, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

Reggie looked him in the eye, her gaze steady and said… nothing.

"Look, I was stupid. I got jealous. I didn't know what to do." Twister began to fidget. She watched as he shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the other. Reggie knew she wasn't making this particularly easy for him. She stood with her arms folded across her chest, effectively giving him the stink eye. "It's just that I like you so much, Reg. When I thought that you liked Lars, I guess I just kinda lost it."

Reggie arched an eyebrow at that. Kinda lost it? He'd run out into a tropical storm in the throes of a jealousy-induced death wish and he'd only _kinda_ lost it?

"Please, Reggie, I know I messed up, but do you think you can forgive me? Do you think you'd ever take me back? I can totally do better. I can be a better boyfriend… because I really… I think I… I love you and… and I guess it makes me act dumb." Twister felt the heat well up in his cheeks. He knew that he must be beet red by now. His eyes were lowered. He couldn't look at her. Was she laughing at him? _Smooth, Rodriguez,_ he thought_, you can't even look her in the eye_.

So it came as a shock to Twister when he felt her cool palm on his cheek.

"I shouldn't take you back, you know," Reggie said quietly. "I mean _you_ were the one who dumped _me_."

Twister tensed. Was she angry? He stopped breathing in deference to his heart, which was about to break. _Go on look at her_, he thought. _Look at her one last time before she forgets you and you go back to being her kid brother's best bro. Look at her. She's beautiful, even when she's breaking your heart._

Twister drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders. Slowly he raised his eyes. There was her chin, her lips, her nose and finally her eyes, which nearly stopped his heart. Her eyes were smiling at him. Twister blinked once and that's when it registered: the slight curve of her mouth, the left side quirked just so, the lips pursed in what could only be described as a grin. Twister exhaled, relieved, but he had to be sure.

"Reggie Rocket," he said, "are you gonna break my heart or what?"

"What," she answered simply, selecting the most desirable option. Breaking his heart was out of the question.

Twister swallowed hard and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Thanks, Rocket Girl." He let out a sigh.

"You're welcome, Twist," Reggie replied.

And then she kissed him.

"Just picture it," Otto said. "The sun sets as I stand at the top of the podium, holding the trophy over my head. The end. Roll credits."

"Yeah, Otto, you could've been a contender," Sam replied. "But it looks like the only footage Twister will get now is of you rolling down the hall in that wheelchair."

"For the last time, Sammy, I am _not_ getting in that chair." Otto sulked, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. After observing him overnight, the doctors had decided that he was well enough to be released.

"Come on, bro," Twister pleaded from behind the lens of his camera. "The doctors said it's like hospital tradition. We wheel you out the front door and then you're on your feet again."

"Think of it as a joyride," Sam added, pushing the chair over to the bed. "We'll pop a few wheelies in the hall."

"I don't need a wheelchair, Squid. I'm fully recovered or haven't you noticed?" Otto flexed his biceps. Sam rolled his eyes.

"What's the hold up in here?" Ray asked, popping his head into the hospital room.

"Otto's being stubborn," Sam explained.

"I thought we went over this, Rocket Boy. Stubborn is what got you in trouble in the first place. Stubborn is what got you disqualified from the Kona Kai," Ray reminded him.

"The juniors, too, huh?" Otto asked, already knowing the answer.

"Especially the juniors. Don't take this the wrong way Otto, but you're a poor role model for kids your age."

"Easy, Raymundo," Otto said, clutching his head. "I'm an injured boy here, remember?"

"Not a moment ago you were fully recovered," muttered Sam.

"Well then, get in the chair injured boy," Ray said with a grin. Otto frowned realizing he'd been outmaneuvered. Reluctantly, he plopped down into the wheelchair. Sam took hold of the handles and pushed Otto out into the corridor. Twister walked backwards in front of the chair in order to capture a close-up of Otto's face.

"Must you film this, Twist?" Otto ground out between clenched teeth.

"Otto-man, this is totally necessary. My surf documentary won't be complete without it."

"Yeah, well your surf documentary gets two thumbs down."

"But you haven't even seen it yet!" Twister wailed.

"Don't knock it until you try it," Sam said. "It's action-packed, especially your dramatic rescue at the hands of Lars Rodriguez."

"What?!" Otto said. He dug his heels into the ground. The wheelchair skidded to a halt just in front of the exit door.

"Lars found you after you wiped out. He even helped load you onto the sled and everything," Sam replied.

"You mean I have Lars to thank for….," his voice trailed off. Otto lifted a hand to the stitches in his scalp.

Twister nodded from behind his camera.

"Crap," Otto muttered. He'd spent his whole life with the overwhelming desire to whomp Lars Rodriguez, not thank him.

"Yeah, Rocket Boy," Twister said, "karma's a bitch."

Reggie straddled her longboard and glanced over at Toni Chase. The defending junior ladies champ squinted into the sun, one hand shielding her eyes. Toni was from Huntington Beach, California aka Surf City, USA and Reggie knew that she wasn't going to go down without a fight. There were four minutes left in the championship heat and they'd each caught two scoring waves. Toni's last run had been pretty sweet. Reggie felt the pressure. She knew that she was going to have to dig deep in order to win this one.

Back on the beach, Tito couldn't stop fidgeting. He paced back and forth across the sand stopping occasionally to sniff the air.

"For crying out loud, Tito, you're driving me crazy!" Raymundo cried. He grasped desperately at the brim of his rumpled fishing hat. At first he pulled it down over his eyes then he pushed it back from his forehead revealing the shiny dome of his balding scalp.

"I can't help it, brudda." Tito wrung his hands in frustration. "Don't you feel it? Can't you _smell_ it?"

"There's nothing to smell. Reggie has a shot at winning the championship and if you don't stop pacing, I'm gonna strangle you!"

"Wait a minute," Sam said. He, too, sniffed the air. "Tito's right. The wind's changed."

"I think you've both had way too much loco moco," Ray snapped.

"You can never have too much loco moco!" Lola exclaimed. She followed Ray's gaze from Tito out to the ocean where Reggie and Toni sat poised on their boards.

"Look at the water, Raymundo. It's like the summer of '74 all over again," Tito said with a sigh. Sure enough the ocean danced before them in its own unique and magical rhythm. The swells increased and the surf churned with a new sense of purpose.

"It can't be," Ray said. He was squinting into the distance.

"It's coming. The _hemolele kai_," Tito breathed.

"No way," Otto said. He jumped to his feet. "It's the perfect wave and _I'm_ gonna miss it!"

"Well, you should've thought about that before your masked surfer escapade, Rocco," Ray reminded him.

Otto wasn't listening, however. His eyes were fixed on the ocean.

"Come on, Reggie," he murmured. It wasn't so much a command as it was a prayer. If he couldn't have the perfect wave then Reggie should. It was the next best thing.

Out of the corner of her eye, Reggie saw Toni shift and knew that she'd seen it, too. The interval had changed and the next wave was going to be colossal. Reggie made up her mind in that instant. This was _her_ wave. It didn't matter that the defending ladies junior champion was no more than six feet away from her on her board, that her jaw was set with determination, or that she was a formidable opponent. Reggie knew that this was hers.

She closed her eyes and felt the pitch and roll of the ocean as it rocked her board. She let the rhythm of it guide her. It sank into her blood. She could feel it humming along her veins, tapping out a gentle pulse that sounded in her ears. The ocean whispered its secrets, Tito had once said; all you had to do was listen.

_Now!_ she thought. Reggie opened her eyes. She dropped to her board, paddling furiously toward the next swell.

Twister had a headache. It took him a moment to realize why. His hands were in his hair and he was tugging at it in nervous excitement as he watched Reggie paddle toward what looked like the largest wave he had ever seen.

"Easy, little cuz," Tito said. "You're gonna go bald."

"I am bald!" Ray snapped. "Mostly," he added. Then he realized that Tito was talking to Twister, who looked more nervous than Sam during an asthma attack.

"Twister, what's wrong with you?!" Ray shouted.

"Huh?" Twister replied. He flushed bright red.

"You should be filming this!"

"What? Oh!" It finally dawned on Twister. He'd been so nervous for Reggie that he'd completely forgotten his surf documentary. He dove into his backpack and pulled out his trusty camcorder.

Beside him Otto smirked. He punched Twister lightly on the arm.

"Come on, bro, this is important," Otto said. "Focus."

Twister switched on his camera and did just that.

The wave reared up before her and Reggie shifted her weight on the board ready to spring into a crouch, but just then the impossible happened.

"No way!" Otto screamed. "Did she just drop in?! Did Toni freakin' Chase just drop in on my sister?! That's like illegal!"

Sam could barely believe his eyes. At the last possible moment, Toni Chase had dropped in from the shoulder of the wave, shooting out in front of Reggie to cut her off.

"Uh, technically, it's not illegal," Sam said, "but it is rather unsportsmanlike."

"Unsportsmanlike? I'll show her unsportsmanlike!" Otto shouted. He would've marched right down to the surf and walked on water just to tell off Toni Chase if Ray hadn't grabbed him by the neck of his tee-shirt. "Let go of me, Raymundo! She oughta be DQ'd!"

"Hardcore DQ'd!" Twisted echoed furiously.

Ray was just as angry as the two teenaged hotheads standing next to him, but he saw something that Otto and Twister had been too worked up to notice.

"Quiet!" he yelled loud enough to silence half the beach. "Shut up and witness the wrath of Regina Rocket!"

Reggie had seen the movement in her periphery just a split second before it had become abundantly clear: Toni Chase was a lousy, freakin' _shoulder hopper_. _How dare she? How dare she try to steal my wave?_ Reggie thought. But then a funny thought occurred to her. Toni Chase didn't know. She didn't know about the ocean's whispered secrets. She didn't know about the pact Reggie had made with the sea. But most all she didn't know that Reggie had leapt into a crouch and caught the wave right behind her.

Toni road high near the lip and Reggie let her. She stalled to maneuver her board out of Toni's wake and that's when it happened. The defending junior ladies champion accelerated to launch off the lip in what should have been a most excellent aerial, but she underestimated her momentum, overbalanced in the air and quite spectacularly ate it.

"Yeah!" Otto said, and pumped a fist in the air. "The Conductor just punched your ticket, Toni Chase! End of the line, you poser kook!"

Reggie cutback to avoid the tangle of limbs and board that was Toni's wipeout and slotted in. And that's when it began, her conversation with the ocean. It did most of the talking, posing currents and undercurrents like questions and Reggie had all the right answers. The golden green curl of water arced up over her as she raced along the barrel crouched low on her board, feet planted in perfect balance. She made it look easy, shredding the vast bowl of a wave so large that the crowd on the beach was nearly silent with awe.

The exception was Otto who was screaming his head off, living vicariously through his older sister. He yelled even louder when he saw her tell-tale rail grab in preparation for a move she'd been working on all summer in Ocean Shores. Reggie sped off the lip of the wave into the air. Both she and her board left the water and spun an incredible 360 degrees in mid air before she landed and resumed her phenomenal run.

"Whoa, brudda," Tito said. "Did you see that barrel roll—that _aerial_ barrel roll?"

Ray, speechless, could only nod.

"I haven't seen moves like that since—"

"—Lauren," Ray finished, finally finding his voice. Overwhelmed, he flopped down on the sand, sitting with his hat clutched between his hands.

Reggie was exhilarated as she hauled her board out of the surf and ran on to the beach. The crowd was going crazy after her killer run and people stepped forward to congratulate her, but she made a bee-line for her family and friends. They were easy to spot, with Tito whooping so loud he was beginning to scare several bystanders.

Twister was the first to greet her, however. He ran right at her and she ran straight for him. The result was that they both went down in what could only be described as what happens when hug meets tackle. Twister looked at Reggie as she laughed beneath him, all wet hair and eyelashes, sand sticking to her skin. He ducked his head to her ear and whispered softly so that only she could hear: "I love you, Reg."

Then Otto was helping him up and Reggie sprang to her feet, her ears burning. Sam and Tito congratulated her. She was clearly the new junior ladies champion of the Kona Kai. Lola enveloped her in a warm hug and then it was Otto's turn to step forward.

"You rule, Rocket Girl," he admitted, and though he was clearly a little jealous, more than anything he was uniquely proud.

"Why, Otto, I didn't know you cared," she teased him.

"'Course I care. The way I see it, this is a victory for the both of us."

"Oh? 'Cause the way _I_ see it, this victory is mine."

"Technically, Reggie's right," Sam said. "After all, she's the one who actually did the surfing, whereas you've been disqualified."

"Thanks for the reminder, Squid," Otto replied. He turned to Reggie and handed her a balled-up piece of orange cloth.

Reggie unfolded the cloth to discover that it was her lucky orange tee-shirt. She also discovered that there were two mysterious holes in the fabric.

"What did you do Otto?" she asked, not sure she wanted the answer.

"Well, Rocco kinda needed your shirt."

"You cut up my lucky tee-shirt to use as a mask?"

"I know. I owe you an apology. Not just for the shirt, but for everything," he said, with a glance in Twister's direction.

"What am I going to do with you, Rocket Boy?"

"Forgive?" he asked.

Reggie sighed.

"And forget, too, I suppose," she answered. "What is it about the Rocket Men? They're clueless and sometimes selfish, but you can't stay mad at them."

Otto extended his hand.

"Woogie?" he asked.

"Woogie," she replied and returned the appropriate hand gesture.

"Hey, where's Dad?" Reggie asked. Otto pointed to their father, who still sat on the sand with his hat in his hands.

"Everything okay, Raymundo?" Reggie asked, sitting down beside him. Ray quickly swiped a hand across his eyes.

"Ah, Reggie," he sighed. "You looked great out there. In fact, you looked like your mom."

Reggie blinked. She knew how hard it must have been for him to say that.

"Thanks, Dad," she said softly.

Ray leaned over and pulled her into a hug.

"My little girl's all grown up," he said. "Next thing you know, you'll be getting married."

"Easy there, Dad. I'm not even sixteen yet."

Ray Rocket took a long look at his teenage daughter trying to memorize her at this age, to keep her in this moment just as long as he possibly could.

"You'll be sixteen before you know it, Rocket Girl."

The Surfside Café looked different at night. Its thatched roof was decorated with strands of white Christmas lights and in the warm, dark evening they set the place aglow. This particular evening the restaurant was closed for a private party: the sixteenth birthday of one Reggie Rocket.

Reggie sat at the head of a long table in the center of the restaurant. With her family and friends gathered around her she was well on her way to having the best birthday ever.

"Okay, Rocket Girl, let's hear it," Ray said. "What do you want for your sixteenth birthday?"

Reggie looked thoughtful for a moment.

"My driver's license," she answered.

"Done and done," Ray said. "As soon as we get back to Ocean Shores you can take the test. What else?"

"Well, Raymundo, since you're in such a giving mood, how about a car to go with that license?"

Ray shook his head.

"Are you kidding? If I buy you a car then I'll have to get Otto one, too. And if it turns out he drives anything like he surfs…"

"Hey!" Otto said, offended.

"Try again, Rocket Girl."

"I guess there is one more thing." Reggie paused and took a deep breath. "I want to start dating." It was kind of an awkward thing to have to say to her dad, but if she didn't bring it up, he certainly wasn't going to.

Ray let out a low whistle. He hadn't expected that one, though he supposed he should have guessed. He'd been fooling himself, not paying attention, but these past couple of days had brought the point home. Reggie had grown, so had Otto. They were headed for new territory and new sets of challenges that would challenge him as well. That's the way it was going to be and there was nothing he could do to change it. He'd just have to take the plunge.

"So you wanna go out with a boy?"

She nodded.

"Well, it's okay, I guess. But there are a few ground rules. I'd have to meet the boy and I'd have to approve of him."

"You already do," she said softly.

It took Ray a moment to catch on but when he did he scanned the table, eyeballing the teenaged boys present.

"Sammy? You want to date, Sammy?" Ray said at last. "Why sure, Reg. He's a great kid."

"Me?!" Sam spluttered.

"Dad!" Reggie groaned.

"What, you think you're too good for my daughter, Dullard?" Ray asked.

"No, sir. But—"

"—Dad!" Reggie said again. "It's not Sam."

Ray was confused. He turned to look at Tito. Tito shrugged.

"Don't look at me, brudda."

"It's Twister. I want to date Twister," Reggie explained. There was silence at the table. Twister felt his face grow warm. He fidgeted in his chair as Ray looked at him hard. The moment seemed to go on forever. No one moved, well, practically no one moved. Tito couldn't keep himself from reaching across Sam to load a few more French fries on to his plate.

"Twister, huh?" Ray said finally. "Well, I guess it's about time. He's had a crush on you since kindergarten."

"He has?" Reggie asked.

"I have?" Twister echoed. "Oh yeah, I guess I have."

Reggie was stunned. This was so not the reaction she'd expected from Raymundo. "So, uh, you're okay with it?" she asked her father.

"I'm…I'm going to be okay with it," he answered. It was now Ray's turn to fidget in his chair. "So, Reggie, I guess there are a few things I should explain to you about boys. You see, when a young man enters puberty…"

There was a collective groan from around the table. Otto dove for the salt and pepper shakers and snatched them out of Ray's reach. Reggie was absolutely mortified. Fortunately, Lola came to the rescue.

"Ray, I think you should maybe save that talk for later," she suggested pleasantly.

_Thank goodness for Lola_, Reggie thought. She couldn't wait until Lola came to visit them in Ocean Shores. Somebody needed to keep Raymundo in check and Reggie thought that Lola might be just the person to take on that difficult task.

"You're right," Ray agreed. "This is a party and we should celebrate." He lifted his glass into the air. "I propose a toast to the birthday girl."

Everyone raised their glasses.

"To the new junior ladies champion of the Kona Kai on her sixteenth birthday," Ray announced. "May your waves always be perfect."

"Here, here!" Tito said. Glasses clinked around the table.

"To Reggie!"

"To Rocket Girl!"

"To Danger Girl," said a voice.

Reggie looked up to see Lars. He'd just walked into the café. Twister grew tense. He hoped Lars wasn't here to start trouble.

"Relax," Lars said, as if reading his brother's thoughts. "I just came by to say Happy Birthday to Reggie."

Everyone at the table simply stared. After all, this was Lars Rodriguez. He didn't just drop in dispensing gestures of good will. There had to be a catch.

"Also, I thought Raymundo might want to get a look at the trophy he lost to me in the finals," Lars explained. He held up the shiny golden statue which indicated that he had won the men's championship.

That was more like it. This was the Lars they all knew and loathed.

"Gee, thanks, Lars," Ray said. "Awful nice of you to remind me."

"Yeah, well, I'm a thoughtful guy," Lars replied. "But I can't really stay."

"We understand. I'm sure there are plenty of kids out there just waiting for you to bully them," Reggie said.

"So many kids, so little time," Lars answered. He gave Reggie a quick wink and turned to leave.

Reggie couldn't help but grin. This had turned out to be quite the birthday. She glanced at the faces of her family and friends around her and sighed in contentment. She had a surfing championship, a boyfriend and the promise of driver's license. What more could a girl possibly ask for?

Later that night Twister walked Reggie back to the hotel. He had an arm wrapped loosely across her shoulders.

"So, when did you figure out that I'm like the coolest dude in Ocean Shores?" he asked.

"The coolest dude in Ocean Shores? Hmm, I dunno, Twist. Ocean Shores is a pretty big town. And there's like Tito and Lieutenant Tice and Conroy. So, I'm not sure if you're the coolest dude in Ocean Shores, but you're definitely the coolest dude in the cul-de-sac."

"But the only other dudes in the cul-de-sac are your brother, my brother and Sam."

"Exactly," Reggie said.

Twister thought about that for a moment. Suddenly, he stopped walking. He looked hurt.

"Hey, Reggie Rocket, that's so not right."

"I'm teasing you, Twist," Reggie explained. "Of course I think you're coolest dude in Ocean Shores."

"Good." Twister grabbed her by the hand and pulled her close. "You know what else?" he asked.

"What?"

"I'm also the best kisser in Ocean Shores."

Reggie looked thoughtful a moment. "Well, since I haven't had the chance to make-out with half the town, I guess I'll take your word for it."

"You sound like you need convincing," Twister said, leaning down toward her.

"So convince me," she replied, rising up on her toes to meet his kiss.

"Hey! No kissing!" called a voice from the darkness.

Reggie turned to see Otto watching them like a hawk from behind a palm tree up ahead. She rolled her eyes. Twister chuckled.

"Can it, Otto!" they both said in unison.

It was going to be one long, hot summer once they got back to Ocean Shores.


End file.
